The Darkest Path
by NaeMarrr
Summary: AU - Bella was found with uncontrollable powers and no memories of a life once lived in another realm called Almorea. Edward, a warrior from the Almorean race, finds bella but can he help her fight the darkness within her before her time runs out?
1. Prologue

**Hey readers! After reading many stories on here, I decided to write one of my own. After writing my first draft of the prologue, I asked my sister to read it and she said she really liked the concept, and so we came up with a bunch of ideas to make it more interesting and now we have our own little world called Almorea. I'd like to know what you guys think before I write more chapters so read, enjoy and comment! :)**

- FurryHottness56

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The Darkest Path:Prologue

Staring wistfully out of a sparkling glass window overlooking the emerald green gardens of Almorea, Bella stood in a floor-length cream and sapphire gown watching the sun set. She was bathing in the glorious beauty of the many complex colours that the Sun creates as it retires for the night. It's as if the tiny, otherwise invisible wisps of cloud burst into pinks, pearls and purples, commemorating our Star on its accomplishments.

She could sense someone sitting beside her, a familiar feeling of warmth enveloping her body. However, another familiar feeling of bitterness and icy evil was also lurking within her, overwhelming her senses until it overtook her and all she could see was darkness. . .

"Isabella!"

Bella's eyes flew open at the sharp sound of Maria's voice, her pupils darting around cautiously; quickly adjusting to the light streaming in from her window. She could still feel that dark presence, not as intense as the dream, but it was definitely getting stronger. She flipped her legs over the side of her bed, still groggy with sleep, and got up reluctantly, her body aching for more rest. She passed the mirror on her vanity as she headed towards her small bathroom, hoping that a shower will erase her feeling of anxiety, when a flash of black stopped her in her wake.

Bella took two steps backwards and turned to look in her mirror. Her weathered hands flew to her hair, "No! No, no no no no!" That one strip of honey-brown hair was black now. That last lock of hope she hung on to was lost to the darkness. Bella's eyes suddenly flashed a bright silvery-white.

"It's coming." She said out loud.

_No_, She then thought.

_It's here._


	2. Discovery

**A/N: Helloo readerrss :). Here's the first chapter I've written for The Darkest Path. Hope you like it.**

**I need some feedback on these chapters so I know if I should carry it on or not.**

**So . . .read, enjoy & review!**

**Disclaimer: Twilight characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. I am just borrowing them :).**

** - FurryHottness56**

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Chapter One : Discovery

_April 23__rd__ 2003_

Maria Gonzales was walking down Mark Street in Queens, New York, as fast as her short legs could carry her. She gripped her umbrella in one hand and had 3 bags of shopping in the other whilst sheets of rain poured out of the clouds.

"Ay, dios mio! I did not need this today! Not today!" She exclaimed, the 20th anniversary of her son's death weighing down on her heart.

Maria walked up her driveway and dropped her shopping on her front step as she fumbled with her keys when her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of something moving in her garden. Her brows furrowed with confusion.

"¿Qué es eso?"

She shielded herself from the rain with her umbrella and hurriedly followed the sound over to the side of her small house. There, hidden behind her rose bushes was a young bruised girl - around 10 years old - who looked as if she'd been to hell and back. Maria's heart swelled with sympathy for her and without a second thought she approached her and held out her hand.

"Aw, Mija, come inside, you must be dying out here!"

Maria's inviting smile reassured the girl and she took her hand. They quickly shuffled into her cosy house and Maria began putting firewood in the fireplace and made it as hot as she could. Then she started up a bath for the girl and offered to help her take off her soaked clothes when the girl shook her head slowly. Maria smiled, "its okay Mija, just go in there and when your nice and clean, come out and I'll have a hot chocolate waiting for you here, yes?" The girl nodded, gave her a small smile then went in the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Maria walked over into her homely kitchen, filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove. She pondered on the thought of being a mother again and thought that maybe she'd forgotten how to do it. Parents should always die before their children do. But for one of Maria's children, that wasn't the case. Her heart warmed with love and pride when she pictured her son Damián in his US Navy uniform, kissing her goodbye as he set off to be a soldier. She begged him to stay as she didn't want him to suffer the same fate as his father did before him, but unfortunately for Maria, lightning really did strike twice.

Just as she had finished making the hot chocolate, a piercing scream thundered from the bathroom. Maria's eyes widened in panic and she rushed into the bathroom to find the girl sitting in the bath tub with steaming and bubbling water all around her, as if boiling water straight from a kettle had been poured into the tub. Maria spewed a string of curses in Spanish that you'd never hear from a 63 year old woman before grabbing a towel and wrapping it around the girl's shoulders. The intense heat coming from the water was like a force field; stopping her from getting to close. She could feel the sweat dripping from her body as she used all the strength left in her to pull the girl out. Surprisingly, the girls face was completely neutral, her mouth wasn't open but Maria could somehow hear the child's manic screams inside her head; the sound echoed that of someone being burnt alive. Maria could not fathom what was happening, and didn't try to. All she cared about was saving the girl's life.

Maria examined the girl's body for any signs of burning but there was not a mark upon her. Her skin wasn't even mildly hot! Her brows furrowed with confusion once more but she shook it off and just smiled at her.

"My name is Maria. What is your name, querida?" Maria said softly.

"Isabella, or Bella." She whispered.

"Beautiful." Maria smiled widely, hoping to get the same from Bella and she did. For the first time, Bella was truly smiling; overwhelmed by the care this stranger was giving her.

She handed Bella her hot chocolate and sat her upon Maria's favourite armchair beside the fireplace. Maria sat opposite her in her late husband's loveseat and began to ask the questions she knew she needed to.

"So, Isabella, where is your mother?" A brief flash of longing appeared on Bella's face but disappeared quickly.

" I, I do not know." Maria tried not to look concerned but she did anyway.

"And where do you live?"

"I do not know." She repeated; as if she'd just realised that she really does not know anything about what had happened to her.

"Well then how did you get here?" Maria said, the concern now largely evident on her face.

Bella just shot her a look that said, _I really don't know_.

"Okay mija, I'll go and make some dinner, just make yourself comfortable and call if you need anything, yes?"

Bella nodded and gave her a small smile before seeking refuge in her hot cup of chocolate.

_Why can't I remember anything? _She thought to herself. Bella closed her eyes and tried hard to remember anything about how she ended up outside Maria's house in nothing but a nightgown. But it was no use; it was as if there was an invisible wall inside her mind, closing her off from her memories. Bella sighed sadly as a tear escaped her eye.

"What is wrong with me?" She closed her eyes and just felt the warmth of the mug in her hands. But inside, all she felt was loneliness. Physically and mentally, she was completely alone.

"No you're not." Said a posh-sounding voice with an English accent.

Bella's head whipped to her right and there, perched on the arm of her chair was a small, green alien-looking creature wearing a miniature pinstriped waistcoat and matching pants.


	3. Disguises

**Chapter 2: Disguises**

"What in the world?" Bella cried, jumping out of her seat.

"Calm down, dear, you'll startle Maria."Spoke the creature nonchalantly.

Bella's expression became even more wary as she backed away from him. "Okay, I don't know who or what you are, how you got in here or how you know Maria's name. But you need to leave or I'll, I'll…" Her deep brown orbs darted back and forth frantically, until they settled on the poker stand beside the fireplace. She grabbed one swiftly and pointed the sharp edge in his direction. "I'll hurt you with this…spear!" The expression on her face was one of total determination as she threatened the creature.

He laughed haughtily and as a glass of wine magically appeared in its small hands, it said, "Oh Bella darling, put that down before you hurt yourself and come and have a chat with me."

She hesitated but eventually returned to her seat, still gripping the weapon. He tutted, "Honestly Isabella, you and I both know that you'll do more damage to the poor poker than it'd do to me!"

Bella's confusion increased as she thought, _'I'd do more damage? What's that supposed to mean?'_ Her mind took her back to the bathroom and recounted how when she'd got in the water, it wasn't that warm, but then suddenly, fire sprouted from her palms and heated up the water immensely. She shook it out of her head then slowly lowered the poker and let it rest on the floor beside her; making sure it was still in her reach. The thing smiled widely and said, "That's better, love. So, the only reason I came here was to check on you and see if Maria had found you like I'd hoped. There was no need for all that hostility!"

"Check on me? But, why?" Bella asked, her need for remembrance and reasons getting the best of her. "What do you know about me?"

It smiled devilishly. "Well, Isabella, the answers to those questions will come soon. But for now…" The creature's form became blurred and misshapen; a myriad of colours and shapes appearing and disappearing until there was a squeaky 'POP!'

Sitting there in a navy silk shirt and black slacks was a startlingly handsome young man. His skin was a flawless bronze and his build was not unlike that of a Roman gladiator. But Bella's virginal 10 year old mind was not focusing on his beauty and allure; she was just gaping at the transformation in awe.

"H-How the hell did you do that?" She exclaimed, reaching for the poker again.

His eyes followed her hand and said, "Nah-ah-ah!" teasingly. In a split second the poker she was reaching for was now in his hand, but not for long as in one squeeze, it turned into a pile of iron dust. "What did I tell you before? And catch up Bella, I'm a shape shifter warlock. I know, ha, its a magical mix of species eh? I mean, its quite obvious right? My brilliance just radiates from me." He smirked smugly and returned to drinking the wine he conjured before. "And my name's Jacobin, but you can call me Jacob."

Bella continued to gape at him, wondering how his voice had went from middle-aged Englishman, to young, husky and American. "Goodness, I must be seeing things because I have a horrid headache right now. Ugh, maybe I hit my head somewhere." She squeezed her eyes shut and laid her head on the back of the cushioned seat. She slowly opened one eye a little, to see if he'd gone but…

"Nope, I'm still here!" He smiled broadly. "And you might've hit your head somewhere, but it's probably a side -affect of the memory spell I put on you."

Bella's eyes widened. "It was you! You did this to me! You little…" Her rampage was interrupted by Maria's voice at the door.

"Isabella, what all this noise is? You okay?" Maria expression was one of genuine concern as she stood at the doorway.

Bella's face looked panic-stricken; she didn't want her to find out about the fool sitting opposite her incase he endangered her. Bella put on a smile and said, "Everything's fine Maria, I was just … singing!"

Jacob snickered at her poor excuse and said, "Nice one, Bells(!)". Maria walked towards Bella while she silently prayed that Jacob 'poof-ed' off somewhere. But obviously, he hadn't. He still sat there with that stupid grin on his face.

Maria stood right in between Jacob and Bella and said, "Are you sure, querida?" It was as if she couldn't even see him. And that's when Bella realized that she probably couldn't see him._ Figures, he's a 'shape-shifter warlock' for God's sake, _Bella thought, _he probably turned himself into a cushion or something. Weirdo_.

She just smiled at her and with all the innocence she could muster she said, "Of course, Maria, everything's fine." She didn't look satisfied with Bella's answer but she accepted it and returned to the kitchen down the hall.

As soon as she was out of sight, Bella said, "You know, for a guy who can do magic or whatever, you sorta suck."

Jacob was so shocked; it was as if someone had slapped him. "Fine then, I'll just leave shall I?" He bluffed, wanting to get a reaction out of her.

"The door's over there, Jacobin." Bella spoke, smiling all the while.

_January 4__th__ 2010: Bella is 17 years old_

Bella was in her small bedroom, on the first floor of Maria Gonzales' semi-detached house in Queens, when that familiar 'POP' that she'd been hearing for the past 7 years sounded from behind her. Knowing who it was she carried on packing her schoolbag as quickly as she could, stuffing her iPod into the side pocket when she finished.

"What? No hello?"

She turned around to find him lying on her bed in nothing but tight boxers; as if he was posing for a Calvin Klein underwear campaign or something. Her deep brown orbs trailed down his herculean body, his perfectly formed abs and pecs looking as if they were sculpted by Zeus himself. She put the image of the little green goblin thing he likes to become into her head and his allure had immediately dissipated. Bella just laughed at him and said, "Nah-ah Jake, this sex god thing is not working out for you."

He scoffed and rubbed his abs, "Whatever Bells, you know I'm hot."

Bella bent over and squealed with laughter, "You are not serious! Hot flew out of the window the moment you showed up looking like something out of Lord Of The Rings!"

Another 'POP' sounded and now he was clothed in a white Lacoste polo and dark jeans. "I don't know why you like to bully me so much. I saved your life remember?" He said, real hurt evident on his face.

"Aww, poor wittle warlock can't take a jokey wokey?" Bella said teasingly, whilst doing up her gorgeous chocolate brown locks in a messy bun and straightening her sweeping bangs. "And you're always saying that you saved me from something but you never tell me what it was, so, that doesn't really count now, does it?" She lined her eyes with dark kohl eyeliner and put on a coat of her favourite nude lipstick before turning back around to face Jacob.

He sat with his arms crossed and his brows furrowed in deep thought. "Jake?" She spoke, walking up to where he was and putting a hand on his shoulder. "What's up?"

Jacob looked up at her as if he'd had some grave news, then as if he'd just realized she was there, he put on his famous smile and said, "Oh, nothing. Go on, or you'll be late for school dude." She wasn't happy with his answer but she ruffled his black hair with her fingers and just smiled before picking up her bag off the floor and heading downstairs.

She crossed the hallway and entered the kitchen, where Maria sat reading a newspaper whilst eating toast. "Morning, Maria!" Bella said whilst grabbing a piece of toast off Maria's plate.

"Hey! Go make your own, Isabella! And what you doing still home? You late, mija. Leave!" She urged, her bad grammar and Spanish accent leaking in with every word.

"Alright, alright, I'm going." And with that Bella left her house and walked a few blocks until she saw the beautiful dark blue Audi TT that Jake had gotten her for her 17th birthday. Obviously, Maria couldn't know or she'd start asking questions which would lead to her knowing things that she shouldn't. She 'beep-ed' it open and jumped in before driving as fast as she could to William Evans High. She parked her car a block away and ran swiftly to the car park where Angela was waiting for her.

"What took you so long Bella? I've been waiting for ages! But anyways, it's a good thing you look cute today because I just saw the new guys and they are freaking sexy!" Angela exclaimed, fanning herself with her biology folder.

"Dude! What happened to your crush on Ben?" Bella asked, hurrying to get into school before the bell went, "And what new guys?" …

… **10 minutes earlier**…

Lauren was sitting on the hood of her car applying her lipgloss whilst looking in her compact when something caught her eye. She turned around and her eyes almost jumped out of their sockets when she saw two of the hottest guys she'd ever seen. One of them was extremely tall and muscular juxtaposing his sweet and childish face. He had a head of curly brown hair and deep grey eyes that seemed to make her heart skip a beat. But he had nothing on the intense beauty that walked beside him.

Everything about this guy just screamed badass! He donned a black shirt, dark grey jeans and a look on his face that said, 'don't mess with me'. The mess of bronze and auburn perfection on his head was simply gorgeous; coupled with his bright emerald green eyes and you just knew that he was heaven on a plate. But what stood out the most was the snippet of a tattoo on his chest that could be seen from where he'd left a couple of buttons open; it made Lauren feel tingles in the pit of her stomach. Her eyes hungrily studied the way it swirled across his left pec and how intricate the little symbols were that surrounded it. Oh how she wished she could strip his body and revel in the rest of his god-given gloriousness.

As he walked closer to her, her heart started hammering even more; threatening to jump out of her chest with each step. But her excitement was deflated when he gave her a dirty look as he walked by; as if he could read her mind and was disgusted with her perverse thoughts. But she just tried to amp up her own sex appeal even more by leaning back on her car and sticking out her breasts in his direction. However, all she got was a huge guffaw from the big one and a raised eyebrow from the other. _That's it_, Lauren thought, _I'm gonna have that hotty if it's the last thing I do_…

… Edward and Emmett Cullen retrieved their schedules and were now seated in their homeroom.

"Did you see that girl? That was crazy!" Emmett bellowed, "Are they all like that around here do you think?"

Edward just smirked a little then whispered, "Come on, brother, we need to be focusing on trying to locate the intense energy Alice sensed yesterday."

"Yeah, you're right; we need to find her somehow… Wait, Eddie? Can you feel that? Shit, that's strong! Can you tell where it's coming from?" Emmett asked quietly, his brain now in warrior mode.

Edward closed his eyes and focused his mind; trying to separate all the different thoughts and voices he was hearing, until his mind took a mental beat down when he tried to enter a certain mind. All he could feel from the person was mind-blowing power, and what was worse, it was undiscovered power that hadn't been released yet. He linked his own mind with Emmett's and spoke to him through his thoughts.

_For the love of all that is holy! Em, do you feel that? I can't get into their head but I can sense that the energy's getting closer to us by the minute. Be on your guard. _Edward warned.

_Yes, sir. _Emmett replied to his commanding officer, reaching down to grip his stake that was slipped into the waistband of his jeans._ I'll be ready for whatever comes._

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**A/N:**** Hey guyss, I finally wrote a worthy chapter that I'm quite proud of! LOL! It's sorta long aswell so hopefully it'll satisfy you until next week. I have my last exam on Friday and after that, you'll be getting more and more chapters! **

**Hope you like how I put Jacob in there for all you jake fanatics! xD **

**You guys watching the World Cup? Cause I am! I'm loving this one you know! **

**GO ENGLAND !**

**Review please! And in your reviews, tell me what team you're supporting aswell!**

**Thanks for reading :) **

**- FurryHottness56 ( Naeema ) = ]]**

**xx**


	4. Identity

**Chapter 3: Identity**

…_**Be on your guard. Edward warned.**_

_**Yes, sir.**_** Emmett mentally replied to his commanding officer, reaching down to grip his stake that was slipped into the waistband of his jeans. **_**I'll be ready for whatever comes…**_

Throughout first and second period, Edward Cullen had been searching the minds of students until he came upon the only mind he'd never been able to enter. And every time he did, he'd make sure to keep his distance until he knew what he was dealing with.

The shrill sound of the lunch bell rang through his head and through all the minds he was currently connected to, giving him a raging headache. _Ugh, God, do they have to drag out this noise for so long, one buzz would do it. Whatever, I gotta be on the ball today. Be on the ball._ Edward said to himself, as a sort of mantra.

He made his way over to where the humans gathered to eat food and found his brother Emmett seated at a small round table, making his already huge body look even larger. Some people would give him welcoming smiles as they walked past him and others shrank away with fear. Emmett's not scary at all, it's a wonder he ever gets his job done! Edward grabbed a tray and got a sandwich, two apples and a juice box, then joined his brother at the table. He was just about to take a bite out of his ham and cheese sandwich when that prickly feeling in his chest returned from when he sensed the intense power. It seemed to be building up as if it was getting closer.

Edward's _Almorean_ senses kicked into gear and he too thought he would be ready for whatever came. But neither of them were ready for what, or who, came through that door. Shuffling into the hall was a small, mousy-looking girl with black, curved-rimmed glasses and black hair that fell over her face; the epitome of the average American girl. But as the girl behind her stepped through the large sweeping doors, a huge wave of_ navitas_ (energy) hit Edward and Emmett, causing them to wince and close their eyes. It was the most powerful _navitas_ they'd felt for years. Emmett's alarm was largely evident through their psychic link; he was almost screaming in panic.

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! What are we gonna do, man? We are way out of our depth here! This is like a majorly high _altus ordo_ mission and we've just passed our initiation exam! It could be a _Sytrix_ posing as a human or a freaking warlock on steroids for all we know! What are we gon-_

_SHUTUP EMMETT!_ Edward bellowed inside his mind. _I know this is way out of our league, but don't forget who you are. We have both been blessed with great power from His Majesty and we can do this if we try. Let's contact Alice, Rosalie and Jasper then try and find out as much as we can about our target before jumping to conclusions. _Edward's wise words gave Emmett some reassurance and they both calmed down a little. _Don't do anything rash, just observe her for the rest of the day, then let's regroup and decide how to deal with the danger when school's over._ Emmett nodded in understanding and went back to scoffing down his pasta.

As their bodies slowly got used to the intense power, they opened their eyes and looked around the room to find that everyone else wasn't affected at all; they were sat in their friendship groups, probably talking about what they did over the weekend, oblivious to the fact that a dangerous being was in their midst. Edward turned to look at that being; she sat facing her friend on a table adjacent to where he and Emmett were sitting. He noticed that whilst her friend was smiling sheepishly and stealing glances at them, the girl's mouth was turned up at the side into a forced smile whilst those deep chocolate eyes conveyed a sense of confusion and fear.

Bella Swan was sitting in the media room on the school's computers; she was trying to finish her story on the unnecessary hype about the upcoming Eclipse film for the school newsletter. But she just couldn't shake the feeling of unease she'd had all day. It was as if the hairs on the back of her neck were constantly raised, and the skin there felt so hot it could have been glowing red for all she knew! She tried to persevere and continued to type complete nonsense until she just couldn't hack it. Bella sighed at the screen when she saw it was 4.24pm as she was planning to finish the entire article by 5.

"At this rate, I'd be lucky to even write a paragraph!" She said to herself. She decided that she should just leave and try to finish it in the comfort of her home. Bella saved her work then grabbed her turquoise cropped jacket and oversized handbag and left the building. She hurried down the steps and walked in the direction of the place she had parked her car earlier; sneaking glances around her as she went.

That feeling of unease grew to anxiety which then grew to fear with every step she took. The street was deserted, all that was left was pieces of paper and gum wrappers being blown around by the wind; it was as if nature itself was warning her. _Someone's following me_. She'd concluded. She began to speed walk, her instincts blaring at her to be careful.

A flutter of an open coat. The echo of footsteps.

_That's it! _Bella burst into a full on run, with speed she had no idea she had. The brilliant blue of her car came into her view and relief swept over her. _I'm nearly there, just a few more yards!_

A flash of bronze flitted in the corner of her eye, something yanked her and she went from seeing the light of day to a dense black. Inhumanely strong arms gripped around her shoulders like a vice, restricting her breathing regardless of the fact that her heart was pumping double time with adrenaline. She couldn't make a sound even though she longed to scream for help; all she could feel was all her emotions building up within her, waiting to burst out.

Edward trapped her within his arms as he waited for Emmett to catch up to him. The girl squirmed beneath him whilst he held her and he lowered his lips to her ear and growled, "Who are you? Of all things in the world, you decide to disguise yourself as a teenage girl! Why? What are you doing in New York?" He demanded question after the other, trying to get her to explain herself. But all he got was squirming and silence. He was about to do another round of questioning when he saw a light and felt intense heat from her neck. He leaned back a little to get a better look and what he saw caught him so off guard his grip loosened a little, giving her some leeway. She turned her head a little and he saw the innocence and alarm in her soft brown eyes before he felt a wave of power and found himself flying through the alleyway, hitting the brick wall and landing on a metal dumpster.

Bella stood at the mouth of the alley with her attacker at the far end. Bewildered, she looked down at her hands as the glow in her palms died down. "What the hell? W-what d-did I do?" Her breathing hiked up again and she just stood there in shock, knowing she should run but unable to move. She was frozen for what felt like hours but when she heard a second pair of heavy footfalls, her fight or flight instinct kicked in and she ran for her life again, just ran and ran until the sky started to darken and her legs couldn't take no more. That familiar POP sounded right in front of her as she stopped and sat at the gates of a park she'd never been to.

"What the hell happened? I just sensed you panicking and came to find you!" Jacob rushed towards her to check for any injuries. "Are you alright? Are you hurt? What's happened Bells? You're scaring me here!"

Bella couldn't speak, she just slumped over and before she knew it, hot tears were running down her flushed cheeks. Jacob saw the hurt in her eyes and almost growled,"Shit, are you crying? Oh lord, when I find the person responsible I'm gonna…" He cursed loudly before sitting down beside her. "Aw, Bells, come here," He pulled her to him and soothingly rubbed her back, "It's alright now, kid, I'm here, okay?"

Bella gripped onto his sweater as sobs broke out of her chest. She cried over the ordeal. She cried because she was alone. But ultimately, she cried out of fear. Not because she was afraid of the man. She was afraid of herself.

As she closed her eyes, the last thought she had was, "Who am I?".

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**A/N: Oohh ! Intense stuff ! Didja like that ? I know the chappie aint that long but I just needed to get this part out of the way before I could carry on.**

**I know your probs wondering "What is Almorea? And what did Edward see that was so shocking?" Well, all will be revealed in due time! xD. And some of you might not like the fact that Edward's hurting Bella and she's hurting him but just be patient, the love will come laterr ! **

**And what do ya think of Jake's role in the story? I know he's older than Bella and there aint no little romance between them, I just love their relationship and I hope you guys do too !**

**I'm seeing hundreds of hits but only 4 reviews! FOUR ! Honestly you guyss ! I know you're reading it, so would it kill ya to drop a couple of lines? :( It'd make me happy and make me wanna update quicker... **

**So come on people ! Just review !**

**Oh and I changed my name cause I started to hate FurryHottness56, it just sounds stupid xDD **

**I'm so upset today too. England lost to Germany. I'm not even gonna mention the scores cause it'd just make me more upset! . At least Ghana's still in it tho, they can represent all the African countries who never got through = D. GO GHANAAA ! **

**And shetttt, Vampire Diaries is SO INTENSE! The UK is behind the US when it comes to shows so NO SPOILERSS ! Don't you think Damon is just SO DAMN HOT ? Seriously, Ashley Greene must've been so happy to have him on her arm mate ! **

**So anyways you guys, just reviewww !**

** - Naeema :)**


	5. Marked

**Chapter 4: Marked**

Edward got up slowly, the colossal force of impact wearing on his body. He could still feel the electrical tingly feeling he had when he touched her; the jolt went from his hands and straight to his heart. He looked down at them and realized that his flesh was exposed, his skin completely burnt off from where he had contact with her body. _Shit_, he thought. It didn't hurt much but it was gonna sting like a bitch when he got it worked on.

He thought back to what happened and was completely and utterly speechless; what he had seen on her neck had changed everything and it was about to get a whole lot worse.

Bella reluctantly sauntered up to her front door with Jacob by her side, not feeling like explaining anything to Maria who would most likely catch onto Bella's mood. "Its cool dude, I'll be waiting for you upstairs. Just put on a smile and say you're tired then come up; I've got some stuff to talk to you about." Bella furrowed her brows, wondering what would be so important, and then nodded silently as she entered the house and was welcomed to the familiar scent of lasagna baking in the oven.

"That you, Isabella?" Maria called, stepping out into the hallway with her favourite wooden spoon in her palm.

"Si," She replied, walking over to greet her with a peck on the cheek before turning to the stairs, "I'm really tired, mama, so if you put some in the fridge for me, I'll get it later, okay?" Maria always insisted on eating dinner at the table and Bella hated to disappoint her but she just had more important things to think about.

Maria frowned but just nodded and said, "Okay, mija. Just call if you need me, yes?" She smiled at her lovingly before disappearing into the kitchen again.

Bella jogged up the stairs and decided to go into the bathroom before facing Jacob. She stood at the mirror and rested her palms on the sink below it, hanging her head and sighing deeply. She closed her eyes and slowly inhaled and exhaled, trying to extract the memory of those piercing green eyes from her mind. Despite the situation, she never saw anything evil in them, they were just emerald pools of mystery; a mystery she so wanted to solve but knew she shouldn't.

Her thoughts flew to Jacob and how he'd heard her cries and looked after her like he always does. His smiles might not always reach his eyes, indicating he's hiding something, but she knew he cared for her a lot and she cherished him for that.

She opened her eyes and looked up at the mirror; _I still look like Bella_, she thought pointedly, _so why don't I know who Bella is? _She sighed longingly, then undid her messy bun and shook out her hair. As she ran her fingers through her long locks she accidentally touched the back of her neck and winced as a sharp pain attacked her. Bella gathered her hair to one side and exposed her neck. She turned to get a better look at it, but it was useless, there was no way she'd be able to see what was there.

Determined, she rummaged through the small white chest of drawers next to the bathtub until she came across the small pink hand mirror Maria had gotten her for her 11th birthday. It was encased in glittery pink plastic, with old, dulled rhinestones clutching on to the handle. She smiled as she held it, remembering the joy she felt when Maria gave it to her; to know she loved her enough to make up a birthday when Bella didn't know hers herself and to get her a present? Well, that was beyond considerate and made Bella that much more grateful to have Maria as a parent.

Pulling herself back to the present, she went back to the mirror above the sink and angled her head and the hand mirror so that she had a clear view of what was there. Bella froze as her eyes registered what she had found. It was some sort of tattoo; one that didn't look tattooed on, but a part of her skin. The shock of it nearly made her drop the mirror but she held it firmly, literally unable to take her eyes of the mark. "Ay, dios mio!" She whispered in utter awe, "It's beautiful."

Her pupils focused on the mark and tried to take in every last detail. It was a large round circle that took up most of the back of her neck. It encased a large S- looking swirl; its tail reaching out of the circle and trailing down the nape of her neck with ancient markings that surrounded it. Many intricate swirls and curls slithered in and around the circle. _Magnifico._Bella's mind was so entranced with what she was seeing that she never bothered to think about how it got there. "Okay, even though it's pretty, how the hell did I get it? Did Jake do this while I was sleeping because…" Her babbling got cut off by Jacob 'poof-ing' into the bathroom.

"Holy, shit!" He exclaimed as his eyes zeroed in on Bella's mark. Instead of trying to get a closer look- which Bella thought he would do- he backed up slowly and said, " Oh no, no, no, no, no! This wasn't supposed to happen yet! It's too early! Oh shit, what am I gonna do?" Jacob grabbed tufts of his hair and fisted them as his eyes darted everywhere and he walked the width of the bathroom back and forth. "Schiesse!" was the last thing Bella heard from him before he left with a POP!

"What the hell just happened?" Bella let go of her hair and placed the mirror in the sink before running out of the bathroom and into her bedroom to see if Jacob was there.

Unsurprisingly he wasn't. Bella exhaled loudly and fell back onto her bed with a sigh. "Jacobin Lapsus Black! You'd better get your ass over here right now and explain this shit to me because I will literally kill you when you come back!" Bella roared, wanting to hear that 'POP' sound before she exploded.

Bella sat brooding for another 25 minutes until she heard Jacob's arrival. "Took you long enough, I told you to be here almost half …" Bella's jaw dropped and her heart rate spiked as her eyes locked on to where Jacob just materialized. But he wasn't alone; with him was the new guy at school; the same one who had grabbed her earlier; the one with the sparkling emerald eyes.

…**25 minutes earlier…**

Jacob dematerialized in panic and materialized again in the alley that Bella said she was taken to and then shape-shifted into a wolf so that he could track the bastard who hurt her. He wagged his tail and sighed internally in content at the freedom of being the wolf he loved to become. Shaking out his body, he looked down at his sandy-brown fur and smiled, baring his deadly fangs as he slowly padded over to the dumpster where he found a piece of black silk. He lowered his wet nose to it and got a sharp scent that he recognized to be Almorean, then captured it between his jaws and dematerialized every few miles, tracking the scent he'd found.

He kept going for a while until he came across a penthouse apartment in Manhattan. He changed forms in a corner; with night's darkness hiding him from any onlookers. And despite the fact that he had a calm exterior, inside he was freaking out completely. _I haven't done this in years! What if I get myself killed? No, I shouldn't be thinking like that; it's my responsibility to care for Bella, and if I get killed in the process, then so be it._ Jacob thought; his mind now matching his body's instinct as he walked up to the front door of the apartment.

He waved his hand around the lock on the door and whispered "_Aperio_." With a click, it opened and he got in and quickly shut it behind him. At the door he focused his mind and said "_Occultus_."; making himself invisible. He learnt this invisibility spell by the time he was 5 and it was one of his greatest defenses. _I feel like I'm under Harry's invisibility cloak!_ He thought, chuckling to himself before he poof-ed up to the 2nd floor, where the scent was more prominent.

Cautiously, he tiptoed through the dimly-lit corridor but stopped abruptly when he heard voices coming from the door on his left. Stealthily, he leaned his head towards it and tried to make out what they were saying.

"She has the mark, Emmett!" One of them exclaimed; sounding a bit restless.

"You've been telling me that for the last half hour! Stop freaking and let's just work this thing out." Another deeper voice said.

"Yeah, you're right. So who is she? If she's one of us then why is she in the human world? She's not in the League, so why would she be so far away from home?" The first guy wondered.

Silence fell between the two after that and Jacob took this as his cue to jump in.

He materialized into the room and observed the situation. The apartment was a vast space of beauty. The furnishings were very modern and ranged from a 50-inch plasma TV mounted on the wall, to black leather sofas with plush silver-silk lined cushions. Jacob focused in on the two men, one had a large build and a menacing look on his face which heightened Jacobs anxiety, _what the hell does that guy eat? Shit, dude, I'm not even gonna try and take him on._ He thought to himself.

His eyes then darted to the smaller one of the two who was pacing around the room; he was about 5'11, had bright green eyes and a mound of bronze fluff stuck to his scalp. _Does he actually think he looks good? He needs to wash that mop and comb it out man!_He said internally chuckling to himself.

Realising that the threat wasn't too large, he muttered, "_Ostendo_," revealing his form to the men.

"Sup guys?" He called out nonchalantly, before waving his hands in their direction; making them fly to the other side of the room; effortlessly pinning them to the wall. Keeping his hands up he stalked over to them and said, "So, which one of you attacked my charge?" None of them spoke. "Which one of you attacked my charge?" He repeated, almost growling with anger. "Not saying a word huh? Well," He chuckled evilly, "I think it was you pretty boy." He gestured to Edward, trying to communicate the threat with his eyes as he bore into Edwards'.

"Yeah it was; I can see it in your eyes. And I overheard your little convo, so _I_ know that _you_ know what she is. But what you _don't_ know is that _she_ is Isabella Swan and I am Jacobin Black; her guardian for life." Edward's eyes widened at the mention of their names, "So whatever you want from her, you're not gonna get. Do you understand me?" They never answered so with a flick of his right hand, his grip on them tightened; restricting their breathing. "Do. You. Understand?" He repeated, menace emanating from his every pore.

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**A/N: Oohh ! Things are getting a little heated there dont ya think ? xD I really liked this chappie ! I wrote alot more but I felt like I was revealing toomuch too soon so you'll get more in the next one . I finally have a Beta everyone ! Its Lily CullenSalvatore and like me, she's a vampire diaries/twilight fanatic LOL !**

**Oh something has happened to my hits/visitors thingy ! It all just disappeared and now theres nothing there ! = [[ I liked seeing how much people had read each chapter buh now I can't = [ ... so could you guys review instead please ? So I know that you're reading it at least ? = ] .**

**UPDATE EVERY WEDNESDAY YOU GUYS !**

**REVIEWREVIEWREVIEW!**

**- Naeema xx**


	6. Spontaneous Combustion

**Chapter 5: Spontaneous Combustion**

**Previously...**

"_**Do. You. Understand?" He repeated, menace emanating from his every pore...**_

They both nodded really fast as their breath left them so Jacob loosened his hold on them to let them speak, "You gonna say anything then?"

"Jacob, it's me," The one with the hair said, "Edward Cullen." Jacob almost jumped away in shock.

"Wait, what? Edward Cullen? As in Prince Edward Cullen? Son of the High King? No, I don't believe it… So wait," His gaze moved on to the big guy, "That means you must be Prince Emmett! I was a good friend of the family back then,you know! Why didn't you say anything when I came in,man?" He exclaimed, playfully clapping a smiling Edward on the back. Jacob's smile fell when he remembered Bella's face after the ordeal. "But," He said slowly, "That doesn't change the fact that you hurt her and because of you, Edward, she's been marked a year early!"

"I know; I saw it happen and I'm really sorry, that wasn't my intention! Emmett and I are part of the League now, and we've been posted in New York. So it's our job to take down anyone who doesn't belong in this world and when we felt all that power from her… we just knew we had to do something!" Edward exclaimed, running his hands through that awful thing on his head. "If we'd known she was a lost Almorean, we would never have hurt her that way. Honestly." His eyes filled with genuine concern.

Jacob sighed again and crossed his large arms over his chest; the feel of his arm muscles calming him down. "Alright, I believe you. But, you're gonna have to come and explain all that to her 'cause there's no way she'll believe me if I tell her."

"Yeah, okay." Edward walked up to Jacob but when he saw that Emmett was following him he turned around and said, "Hey Em, I need you to go to the team and fill them in on what happened whilst I go with Jacob."

"What? Nah man, you must be mad if you think I'm leaving you with a guy that just made us fly across the damn room!" Emmett argued angrily, making him seem even larger than he seemed to Jacob earlier.

Jacob watched Edward stare him down and chuckled as Edward said, "You _are_ leaving me because I told you to leave. And that's an order!"

Emmett reluctantly stood up straight, put his fist over his heart as he bowed a little and said, "Yes, sir," before he brushed past Jacob and stormed out of the room.

Jacob smirked in amusement and said, "O-kay…" Stretching out the 'o'.

"So where are we going and how are we getting there?" Edward asked; looking more relaxed but still speaking in that firm tone.

"Well..."

**End of flashback…**

Bella's eyes raked over the green-eyed guy's body; his defined muscles evident through his torn silk shirt; his prominent, chiseled jaw line; lips so pink and divine it was blasphemous. He was the true definition of beauty. Bella recoiled at the sight of him; not because he was repulsive, no, he was far from that to her, but because he reminded her of the unknown, which was what her whole life seemed to be; a string of lies and secrets.

"Don't be afraid." He spoke; his voice a melodious symphony, "I'm not going to hurt you." He looked down, then said, "I apologise for what happened earlier, I didn't know who you were."

Bella laughed, "You didn't know who I was so you attacked me? Ha! Well, you know what? I don't know who I am either, and a simple, 'hello, what's your name?' would have freaking sufficed!" She roared maniacally.

The guy looked taken aback by her ferocity, then turned to Jacob and they spoke in hushed voices. "Oh, for God's sake! I'm honestly gonna spontaneously combust." They both stopped speaking then turned to look at her. "Oh, are you finished now? You wanna tell me why this dude's here, Jake? Wanna explain how this fucking tattoo got on my neck? `Cause if you do, I'm all ears." Bella hissed, steam practically coming out of her ears.

This time Jacob was the one who spoke, "His name is Edward, and I used to know him…Ah, I guess I just need to explain it all now don't I?"

_ Edward. That sounds like the name of someone from a freaking romance novel,_ she thought.

"Yeah, that'd be great!" Bella replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

The guy or _Edward_ smirked at that then shifted his weight to the other foot as Jacob joined her on the bed.

"I'll start from the beginning then… Well, remember when you first saw me in the living room as Charles?"

"Who the heck is Charles? Oh, the green guy?"

Jacob chuckled, "Yeah, the green guy… anyway, when I told you that I wiped your memory, it was the truth; I had to do it so that you could live in this world without the memories of your past."

Bella scoffed, "What could have been so bad that you had to wipe my bloody memories?" She watched as Jacob and the guy shared a knowing look. "What is it, you guys?" She asked quietly, her voice a soft whisper.

The guy ran his fingers through those gorgeous bronze locks then looked to Jacob for permission to speak. "There was a war," He stated, his voice taking on a grave tone, "The most horrible war in Almorean history."

"Wait stop. What is Almorea?" Bella asked.

"Shit, you really did wipe her memory, Jake." Edward said.

Jacob shrugged, and then the guy continued, "There are many different realms in this universe and Almorea is one of them. Most of the famous people in this realm are not even human; they're travellers from other realms. So anyway, erm, Almoreans look just like humans only better. There are different castes such as fyre, water, aire, earth, moon and sun, and within those castes are families. Mine is from the aire caste. And yours is from fyre." He ended, gesturing towards Bella.

"You know my family?" Bella asked, not able to contain her excitement. "Where are they? Do they know where I am?"

His green orbs flickered over to Jacob again. "Dude! Would you guys stop doing that? It's doing my head in!"

Jacob spoke up, "So anyway, I'm not from those castes."

"So how are you Almorean?" Bella wondered.

Jacob chuckled, "Some would say I'm not but really I am. Werewolves, faeries, furies and all those other kinds of mythical creatures each have their own realms. But centuries ago, they came to Almorea and integrated with them and now consider themselves to be Almorean too so technically I am." He flashed one of his famous smiles, warming her heart as usual.

"Tell me more about the war," Bella said; yawning whilst speaking so it came out like, "Temee more bawar."

Edward and Jake both laughed. "I guess it's someone's bedtime, right Edward?" Jacob said.

"Yeah, I think it is." Edward agreed, his smile almost making her heart stop.

_ I should add that to the list now shouldn't I?_ She thought to herself; mentally noting it down.

"No!" Bella disagreed, "You never finished telling me about Almorea and the war!" Another yawn crept in, making them laugh again.

"We can do that some other time, Isabella. You've been through a lot today." Edward frowned, "Probably because of me, so I apologise. But still, get some sleep."

Jacob nodded in agreement then said, "Yeah, Bells. I'll come in the morning to grab some of Maria's pancakes anyway, so we'll go and you'd better get some sleep. I'll check up on you later and if you're not asleep I'll go 'say hello to my little friend'". He used his magic to turn his right hand into a water pistol. He shot a little at Bella, making her laugh.

She smiled at him, said sarcastically, "Okay, godfather!" then shooed them out of her room. With a 'POP', they were gone.

Bella sighed then went to the bathroom at the end of the landing. She took another look at her mark in the bathroom mirror and smiled. "Somehow, I feel more complete with this. Hopefully Maria doesn't see it."

"Maria doesn't see what?" Bella jumped at her carer's voice.

"Mama! How many times are you gonna scare me like that before I have a heart attack?" Bella exclaimed; her hand placed on her chest.

Maria laughed then said, "Many, many times."

They both started laughing then Bella hugged her and said, "Te amo, mama."

After they hugged, Bella went back into her room and changed into a navy camisole and white and black checkered shorts. Then she jumped into her bed, hugging one of her pillows to her chest as she usually did. She sighed long and deep as she thought about the day's events.

Considering she got attacked; found a tattoo on her neck; had her attacker in her bedroom and learnt about a 'realm' called Almorea, Bella wasn't the least bit overwhelmed. It didn't feel new or scary. Somehow it seemed normal and today of all days, she felt like she was getting closer to finding who she was. Isabella Swan.

* * *

**A/N: I was actually thinking of dropping this story, which is usual for me, you know ? Like, every time I start a story I just stop 'cause I think its not good enough. && By the looks of how much reviews I have, obviously people dont like it enough to comment buh I thought I should follow through with what I'd started .**

**Soo . . . I kinda gave you guys some history there and a few things that might lead to twists and stuff. . . But, the only way you'll find out is if you R&R ! **

**I said I'd update every Wednesday buh thats too long xD . . . So I was gonna update on Monday or something, but because I got more reviews today and yesterday I thought I should be generous and satisfy your needs xD **

**Obviously, you can tell Bella thinks Edward's as gorge as I do, or PRINCE Edward I should say. . . you'll learn more about that later aswell ;) . . . but you dont know the other side of the story :O . . .**

**All I can say is PLEASE REVIEW you guys ! The more you review, the more I'll write and the quicker I'll write ! If I get a lot of reviews today and tomorrow, I promise I'll whip up a chappie by Monday or Tuesday. **

**I'm going to Suffolk on Tuesday ( UK folks will know where that is xD ) and I'm busy on Wednesday too, so if you guys really want me too, I'll update on Monday or Tuesday night !**

**Thanks for all the hits, but just review please ! Scroll down, click that link and just REVIEW ! **

**Nae xxxxxx**


	7. Gold Coins

A/N: Sorry its so late you guys ! Here's a long chappie to keep you happy ! LOOL THAT RHYMED !

R&R and Enjoy !

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**Chapter 6: Gold Coins**

_**I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world!**__**Life in plastic, it's fantastic!**__**You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere**__**!**__**Imagination, life is your creation!**__**Come on Barbie, let's go party!**_

"What the hell? Ughhh, Emmett!" Edward muttered angrily; mentally attacking Emmett because he knew that he hated that song and all things Barbie. He hit the 'off' button on his alarm. Bright light tried to penetrate his eyes as they fluttered open. _I don't remember leaving the blinds open,_ he thought groggily; his mind still plagued with sleep. He woke to find his feet hanging off the edge of his bed, his pillows on the floor and his duvet bunched up under his head. "Ugh." He groaned as his eyes tried to adjust to the almost blinding light.

"Rise and shine, Edsterr! We've got school in like half an hour!" He could hear the huge bellow of his brother so loud and clear, he could've been sitting in his ear if it were at all possible. Edward reluctantly got out of bed and headed into his ensuite bathroom to get freshened up before school. After he'd had a shower, brushed his teeth and got dressed, he ran his fingers through his untamable hair and let it air dry. Looking down at his watch he saw that it was 8.30am already.

"Shit, I was supposed to leave 15 minutes ago!" He exclaimed to himself. Edward grabbed his backpack off the floor then sped into the living room where he'd heard Emmett's huge guffaw followed by a high-pitched giggle that belonged to someone he'd never forget. He looked around the room to find Rosalie; a regal-looking girl with flawless blond hair and red-painted lips which were turned up in a smirk as she clutched onto his brother.

Before he had a chance to say hello, a small and bouncy girl wearing stone-washed jeans and a white graphic tee bounded over to him and jumped into his arms.

"Hey Alice!" Edward said, grinning widely.

He was about to ruffle her hair like he used to do as a child when she grabbed his wrist and said, "Nah-ah, Eddie, I spent 2 hours making it look perfect for my first day of school, so you'd better not mess it up!" She glared at him, looking as deadly as a pixie that'd had their fairy dust stolen or something. He tried his best not to laugh at her evil expression and she noticed what he was doing so she let go and stormed off. He followed her with his eyes and noticed that she was now cuddled up with a guy with relatively long blond hair. Jasper Whitlock. He looked up at Edward and greeted him with a smile, one that Edward returned.

"Wait, what? First day of school?" Edward asked.

"I took orders and did what you asked, but then they decided they wanted to come and help, so, here they are." Emmett started making goo-goo eyes at Rosalie, so Edward rolled his own and said, "Come on then guys, you're gonna be late for your first day."

Rosalie stood up, straightened her short denim skirt then said, "Alright guys, first one to the garage gets to drive my baby," She twirled the keys to her Bugatti around her perfectly manicured index finger. Everyone smiled at the challenge, and within 2 seconds, they were all out of the door. They all ran down the staircases with lightening speed – one of the perks of their racial background – with Rosalie and Jasper in the lead, and Edward, Emmett and Alice right behind them. Edward smiled to himself devilishly as he used aire to blow his friends out of the way and put himself in lead.

The next thing he knew he was sitting in the expertly sculpted seats of the Bugatti Veyron. He rolled down the window to find Rosalie, Alice and Emmett all giving him evil eyes.

"Edward Anthony Cullen! You're a cheater!" Alice screeched. "We all know you used your powers and it wasn't fair!" She moaned.

"What?" Edward laughed, "No one said it was a no-powers-allowed game."

"If you so much as get a scratch on my car I'll…" He revved the engine to cut Rosalie off and smiled smugly before taking off without another word.

Driving down the highway Edward turned on the radio and switched stations until he stopped on one of his favourites; Muse's Uprising. He joined in with the chorus; which was, in his opinion, the best part. "They will not force us, they will stop degrading us. They will not control us, we will be victorious!" His powerful voice caught as much attention from the people he drove past as Rosalie's car did. And every time someone looked at him weirdly he just smiled coolly then drove faster.

Eventually, he got to school and parked the car in the only space he could find then ran into the building. Hoping to be let off for being late, he grinned at the receptionist, knowing it was what made women melt.

Edward waltzed into his homeroom and gave Bella a half-smile before taking a seat next to a guy with dull brown hair and an ACDC t-shirt. "Hey," he said, trying to be friendly. The guy looked shocked, scared and thrilled all at once. _Woah, his brain must hurt_. Edward chuckled at the thought. Just as the guy was about to say something, the blonde he'd seen the day before perched on his desk.

"Hey, Edward," She slurred forcefully; trying and failing to sound seductive, "Why are you speaking to Newton, when you can talk to me," She then lowered her mouth to his ear while pushing her boobs in his face, "And I can do a LOT more with these lips then just talk." She then pulled away from him and bit her lip as she returned to her seat at the back of the class.

That innuendo was so damn obvious to Edward that he tried to hold in his laughter, but once he saw Emmett at the door trying to do the same, they both doubled over and just broke down. Even Ms Hall was cracking up! He looked over at Emmett and saw that he was laughing so much tears were running down his cheeks. After Emmett could manage to stand up straight, he walked over to Edward and clapped him on the back, "Damn, Eddie! Why don't you go and _talk_ to her? She certainly wants to _talk_ to you!"

Edward turned to look at Isabella and found that she'd been laughing also. She raised one eyebrow at him then winked.

As the bell signaling 3rd period sounded, Edward headed over to his next lesson; Biology with Mr Banner. When he entered the room, his attention was immediately grabbed by a brown haired beauty, sitting in the seat next to his. It was as if she'd read his mind because Bella looked up and saw him just as he saw her. _She's so beautiful,_ Edward thought to himself, _but I can't think of her that way, she's just someone I have to protect._ With those thoughts running through his mind and the smile now wiped off his face, he went to his seat beside Bella.

"Settle down, kids! Or I'll make you eat raw onions instead of inspecting the skin of one!" Sir said jokingly. Most of the class laughed at that before he spoke again, "Good. Now, in today's lesson, we will be using microscopes to …"

Edward tried to focus on what Mr Banner was saying but it was impossible because of Bella. He could feel her looking at him whilst he looked straight at the teacher's board and he lasted at least 10 minutes without looking at her but after that he couldn't bear not to hold her gaze.

"Bella?" He whispered.

She turned her head to look at him and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she said, "Hmm?"

"Do you wanna say something? Cause you've been staring at me for quite a while now." Edward said.

Bella's cheeks flushed a rosy pink; embarrassed that she'd been caught out. "Well, yeah, I do." Edward smirked at her answer, happy that she wanted to speak to him after what happened between them the day before.

"Go on." He encouraged, whilst placing a strip of onion skin under the microscope.

"You never finished telling me about the war. So I want you to finish telling me now." Bella demanded in a hushed voice.

"Oh." Edward said; a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Well, where did I stop?" He asked, just wanting to see her full lips move.

"Something about how it was the worst war in Almorean history." Bella replied, eager to find out more.

"Okay, so, there are people called Sytrix, who live in a corner of Almorea that no one dares to go. I know you're gonna ask who they are so I'll tell you anyway." Edward added with a smile. "With good comes evil. You know, ying and yang and all that. So, in that sense, as every Almorean is blessed with power and light, we also all have darkness in us. And when we become _Marked_, we either lean towards the good side or the bad one. The majority of people stay good because they're brought up that way but there are a few from each generation who become Sytric."

He paused to adjust the slide then said, "And what's so bad about them, Edward?" Edward spoke, mimicking Bella, "Well, instead of harnessing their powers and using them to live happily, they pray on Almoreans and humans; draining their energy to build up their own, so much so that it becomes an addiction for them. Although humans don't have powers, their souls live on a small amount of energy in their bodies and so, Sytrix who are too afraid to take on Almoreans cross into this realm and prey on humans. And that's what we're here for; we protect humans from them." When he'd finished he looked up at Bella to see a look of confusion on her face.

She was quiet for a while then blurted loudly, "But what has that got to do with the war?"

Her question caused a few students around their table to look at them, but it also caught the attention of Mr Banner.

"Do the experiment quietly Swan." He warned. Bella nodded and gave him a small smile before turning back to Edward.

"Answer me then." She whispered, pulling the microscope to herself.

"Well, about 20 years ago, an Almorean who was blessed with an extra power of foresight prophecised that there would be someone who would be born with the powers of every caste. When news of this prophecy spread, every nation in all the realms surrounding ours and all those within our own prepared their armies to fight for this child when they were found." Edward covered his hand over Bella's on the microscope. With hers still in his hand, he pulled it over to himself and looked inside the lens to make it look like they were working.

"And then?" Bella whispered impatiently.

"And then, when everyone found out who it was, all hell broke loose." Edward pursed his lips together just as the lunch bell rang. Not wanting to say anything else right now, he got up, grabbed his bag and mumbled, "See you later," leaving Bella with a concerned look on her face.

The rest of the school day passed in a blur as Edwards mind was filled with memories from his past. When classes ended, he was walking over to where he parked his car with his eyes to the ground when he bumped into something. "Oh, I'm sorry…" There, with her arms crossed over her chest was Isabella with a sour look on her face.

"Dude!" She exclaimed, "You never finished your story about the war and you've been avoiding me since!"

"Have I?" Edward asked sarcastically.

Bella scoffed then glared at him. _She looks so cute when she's angry_. Edward thought as he kept his eyes on her flushed cheeks and pouting lips.

Laughing, he said, "Alright, Isabella, I'll give you what you want. Your place or mine?" Bella caught on to the innuendo and so much blood rushed to her cheeks that he was worried her heart wouldn't have enough of it to work.

She shook it off, reached up to his ear with her mouth and whispered, "Yours," in a voice that was so sultry and husky that a flash of passion passed through him as she walked over to his car; hips swaying and hair billowing in the wind.

After a few seconds of staring at her, Edward jogged over to his silver Volvo that Alice and Jasper had driven here this morning. He pressed the unlock button on his keys then opened the passenger door for Bella. She mumbled a "thanks" just as he closed the door. Smiling, he went to the driver's side and got in quickly, relishing the feeling of having his beloved Volvo back again. Regardless of the fact that Rose's Bugatti was the fastest thing he'd ever driven, it had nothing on the class and sheer beauty of his Volvo. He sighed in contentment then turned to find Bella with a smile on her face. Edward coughed in embarrassment; he'd forgotten Bella was sitting beside him.

She giggled then said, "Do you want me to leave you two alone or something?"

"Haha, Bella, very funny." He said as he put the key in ignition and drove off.

The ride home was filled with awkward conversations and both of them stealing glances at each other. 10 minutes later, they arrived at Edward's building. He led her to his apartment and when they got in they were greeted with a cushion that was flying in their direction. Edward caught it with expert flair and flung it back at Emmett who was obviously the one who'd thrown it. All conversations stopped when Bella walked through the door. Jasper shielded Alice with his body and took on his warrior stance whilst Rosalie glared and Emmett looked wary. _I guess they felt her navitas, then._

"Guys, it's alright. She's one of us." Edward reassured them.

They all looked at each other in confusion and became a little calmer but were still on edge. Bella smiled at them shyly and said, "Hi," in a quiet voice. That seemed to make Emmett feel better about having her here because he grinned widely at her.

"Everyone, this is Isabella Swan," they all sucked in a breath and Edward glared at them so they never commented on who she was, "Isabella, this is Rosalie Hale, Emmett Cullen, Jasper Whitlock and.." Edward's brows furrowed, "Where's Alice?" They all turned to look at Jasper and Edward moved closer to him.

There, curled up next to the fridge looking as cute as a kitten, was Alice. But something was off. He noticed that her head was burrowed into her knees and her hands were at her temples. The room became completely silent.

"Why is she so quiet?" Emmett whispered stupidly.

Quiet? It wasn't quiet to Edward. He could hear her whimpering and as they all came closer, the whimpering turned into screaming; blood-curling screaming. Edward's face was panic stricken. He sat next to her and held her small form to him.

No one else seemed to be fazed by Alice's screams, they all just looked concerned, and that's when Edward realized he was hearing her thoughts. She was screaming on the inside and it wasn't coming out.

_But why?_

Edward hugged her tightly. She was practically his sister and it was paining him to hear her hurting this way. He looked up at Jasper and saw the hurt in his eyes too; he loved her so much that to him, her pain was his pain.

_Maybe the problem is one of us._Edward thought. He looked around at everyone until his eyes landed on Bella. He could see that she was also concerned for Alice; someone she didn't even know. But maybe she was what was causing this. _Yes,_ he mentally said to himself, _it must be Bella. That's it!_

Alice's power is to see, feel and locate _navitas_; whether it's good or bad. And Bella's_navitas_ is the most potentEdward had ever come across, so obviously Alice would be affected by it! _Her mind is probably going through hell right now!_

"Alright, everyone back up!" Edward barked. They all complied quickly; Bella moving all the way to the door.

Alice's screams eased down and were now just small cries. He stroked her hair as she rocked back and forth; whispering things to her in her mind to her to ease her pain.

Finally she managed to speak, "I'm okay now." It came out as more of a squeak, but Edward understood what she meant.

_She doesn't know who she is, or how powerful she is_. He explained through their mental link.

She tried to smile at him then looked up at Jasper, wanting some comfort. Edward took this as his cue to move and he went to join Bella by the door.

"What happened?" Bella asked softly.

"She's, she's just going through some things." There were a few minutes of silence. "Do you mind talking outside instead of up here?" He proposed.

"No. I mean, you don't have to explain anything. I'll just go…" She mumbled, turning to open the door.

"No," He protested, putting his hand on her shoulder. She turned her head and looked up at him with those gorgeous chocolate brown eyes that reminded him of the beautiful deep brown colours that autumn had brought to Almorea last year. "I want to."

She smiled a little then nodded at him. She stood back and let him open the door and lead her away from his apartment. They strolled down to the front door side by side in comfortable silence. He then took her outside and motioned for her to join him on the steps outside his building.

Edward looked at his surroundings properly and realized that it was the first time he'd done this. The building opposite him was identical to his own in terms of structure, but other than that it was completely different. The windows were boarded up and the once-red bricks around the boards were singed black; as if there had been a fire. There were empty flower beds on each window sill and green ivy that climbed up the left side of the building; remnants of something beautiful which had been destroyed. The front door was boarded up also but had been covered in its entirety with the sign of one of NY's many gangs. Even though the meaning behind it was one of danger and death, the myriad of colours and shapes made it beautiful; reminding him of the mark that was situated on his chest and those of his caste.

An elderly homeless woman who was clothed in rags was sitting outside that building with a piece of cardboard that said KEEP WALKING, YOU WONT HELP ANYWAY. Edward smiled at her bluntness then muttered an "I'll be right back," to Bella, before going across the road and heading towards the lady.

Closer up, he realized that she wasn't old at all, maybe in her late 40s. It was the grey in her hair and the stress wrinkles around her deep-set large blue eyes that made her look old. Her eyes conveyed a sense of wisdom and knowledge. A wisdom and knowledge that she had learnt over many years of struggle, Edward had guessed.

"What do you want?" She spat in a blatant NY accent.

Edward crouched down so that he was at her eye level, then put his hand behind her ear, pulling back to reveal a gold coin. The woman's eyes widened in shock. "Th-th-that aint no normal coin, is it?" She asked, stuttering as her eyes beheld the thick, perfectly rounded gold coin between his fingers.

"No. It's a 27-carat gold coin." Edward informed her smiling. "And it's yours." He added.

"Lord Almighty," She said in disbelief, "Child, this aint mine." She looked up at his eyes.

"Yes, it is. I found it behind your ear, so obviously, it's yours." He grinned.

"You cheeky little man," She teased, "But why are you being so kind?" She asked.

"I'm not being kind. I'm just being human. I believe everyone should be helpful and caring. Where're your children? Shouldn't they be caring for you?" Edward inquired softly.

"Love, my children stopped caring for me years ago. But it doesn't matter. I believe God has something better in store for me." She said, her eyes creasing as she smiled.

"Well, until God gives you that, I'll give you something good." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of shiny gold coins. "Now look, if you cash these in, you'll have enough to rent an apartment, buy food, and buy some beautiful clothes for the beautiful woman that you are." He tipped them all into her open hands then said, "I know you'll make the most of this because I can tell you're a good person. But if I come around here and see you sitting where you are right now, we're gonna have some words." He warned playfully.

She smiled up at him and said, "I won't disappoint you darling. Thank you. Thank you so much." She pulled him down and kissed his cheek with her chapped lips tenderly.

He smiled back then stood up and walked back across the road, happy that he'd helped change a life for the better. He looked over at Bella, who was sitting with a wide smile on her face. _She looks even more gorgeous when she smiles,_ he thought as he headed her way.

But then he thought of the conversation they were going to have and grimaced.

"All hell is gonna break loose all over again." He whispered to himself before he sat down.

"What was that?" She asked.

"Nothing." He lied.

It was definitely something alright. Something so horrible, evil and painful it killed hundreds.

That statement was so true, it sounded like it was made to describe the war.

All hell broke loose back then, and Edward was about to relive that hell right now.

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**A/N: Hey guysss ! Sorry it was so late, I just never had time to finish writing this chapter this week ! I'll try and update this weekend but I havent been keeping to my promises lately, so just put me on story alert instead LOL !**

**So, anyways, I'll stop waffling on and just say I hope you enjoyed it cause I really liked this chapter.**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW ! Scroll down and click that bloody button please LOOL !**

**Nae xxxxx**


	8. Trees

**A/N: I promised a chapter this weekend so here it is! **

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**Chapter 7: Trees**

Edward looked at Bella and saw her eyes large with curiosity and anxiousness. He then took a deep breath and took his mind back to when he was just another 12-year-old; when the responsibilities of being a Prince or the heir to the throne didn't matter to him.

Flashback: June 19th 2003, Almorea

_Edward was playing in the lush gardens behind the castle he lived in with Alice. He was sat cross-legged in the air; using his power of aire to make himself levitate. Just as he was about to beat his record time of 10 minutes, he heard Alice thinking that she wanted to push him and lost his focus completely. With a gasp he felt himself fall 2 metres onto a pile of leaves with a soft thud. _

"_Alice! Why did you do that? I was so close!" Edward bellowed. He turned around expecting to see her laughing but she was nowhere to be found._

"_What, are you playing hide and seek? Because if you are, you'll be hiding for a very long time." There was no reply. He crossed his arms and perched himself on a bed of red and gold leaves with a huff._

_Edward looked across the valleys that separated his town from the dense forest filled with all sorts of beings that haunted him in his sleep. He shuddered at the thought then looked at the giant oak tree that was happily sitting in the middle of the garden. It was autumn now; his favourite time of the year. The once bright green leaves of spring were now beautiful shades of brown, gold and red, desperately clutching on to the century old branches of his mother's beloved tree; knowing their days were numbered. _

_That's how Edward saw it too. Life is the tree, and each being is a leaf. People change as life goes on; going from young, hopeful and green, to old, desperate and gold. _Maybe that's why humans call old age, 'the golden years'._ He thought as he chuckled to himself. _

_With Alice still not back, he decided to look for her. She wasn't behind the oak, so he walked down the lavish marble walkway and bowed at the statues of past Kings and Queens that lined the path as a sign of respect. He kept walking until he got to where the path ended. There, was the largest fountain in all the lands. Spouting sparkling water from her lips was a statue of Almora; the founder of this realm, the goddess who had control over all the elements and the one who gave Almoreans their power. _

_He skimmed his fingers over the surface to create beautiful ripples in the water before walking over to the gazebo at the back of the garden. It was completely white; as if there was some sort of magical never-ruining-or-fading paint. It was a sort of half hexagon shape, with white benches around the inside edges to sit on. There were 4 pillars all with strings of vibrant green ivy climbing up the sides; a beautiful contrast of colours. _

_Just then, he heard a blood-curdling scream in the distance. One that was so loud and full of pain that it almost grabbed his heart and squeezed all the blood out of it. One that was all too familiar._

Alice.

_Without a second thought he sprinted in the direction the scream came from, his heart pumping with so much fear and adrenaline it made him run even faster. He used his powers of mind reading to try and locate her. _

_Edward froze. In Alice's mind he saw armies of darkness coming closer and closer. With each step they took, Alice's mind got a jab of pain; only a fraction of the kind of pain they were bound to inflict when they reached her. _

_The warrior in him focused his mind, took away the childish fear from his heart and gave him the courage to run straight to Alice. He found her curled up in a ball, clutching a small tree trunk with her even smaller hands. Edward approached her slowly, so as not to startle her then put his hand on her shoulder. She jerked a little but eased into his arm. He unraveled her from her ball and held her head in his hands. _

_He sucked in a breath as he saw her face. She was white as a sheet; it was as if all the life had been taken from her body and her eyes were completely black; no iris, no pupil, nothing. _

_Edward wasn't usually scared of anything. Lieutenant Colonel Swan taught him how to swordfight like a high-ranking soldier by the time he was 10 and had made him fight all sorts of creatures. But that was nothing compared to the fear he was feeling just by looking at the girl he'd grown to call his sister. _

_After a few minutes of trying to coax her into getting out of the state she was in, he picked her small form up into his arms – after a lot of struggle – and carried her into the castle. Just as he'd stepped through the gigantic mahogany doors that were carved with the ancient lettering he loved, Alice screamed once more. He looked down into her face with so much sadness, but that changed into relief as he saw her eyes become bright crystal blue again. _

_She looked up at him in alarm, "They're coming, Edward. They're coming," She told him in an unusual monotonous voice. _

"_Who, Ali? Who's coming?" He asked her._

_She never answered his question as he lowered her onto her feet. She just repeated the same thing. "They're coming. They're coming." _

"_We need to tell the King." Edward resolved. He grabbed her arm and ran up the immense hand-carved ebony staircase, all the while hearing Alice continually repeating what she'd told him. _

_They finally reached the 3__rd__ floor; Edward huffing in exhaustion. _

"_I need to talk to my father. It's urgent." He told the two soldiers guarding the High King and Queen's library. _

_They looked at Alice in a weird fashion then nodded in understanding and pushed open the heavy doors to let him in. Still clutching onto Alice's hand, he ran over to his father who was sat upon his favorite rickety chair reading Hamlet. _

_He always thought his father was an odd King because he never liked to sit on the beautiful golden throne with a velvet-cushioned seat that was made especially for him. He said he didn't like the view because of how high it was and that it hurt his back. He preferred to sit on a miniature, cheap, broken wooden chair that was a gift from an old woman from town. _Yeah, like that wouldn't give you back problems.

_Edward ran over to his father and said, "Your Highness, Alice and I have some dire news!"_

_King Carlisle removed his reading glasses from his face and smiled, "Did Bach swallow a frog, son?" _

_Bach was the Royal Family's dog and he always managed to swallow something he shouldn't. Edward almost swore in anger at his father's nonchalance. "No, father! Alice had been unconscious when we were outside, and when I read her mind; I saw that she had seen hundreds of dark soldiers coming to our city! Right now!" _

_King Carlisle looked down at his son with his brows furrowed, "And you're sure of this, yes?" He murmured. _

_Edward growled in frustration, "Yes! Look at Alice! She is completely beside herself! She's rambling on like a mad woman! 'They're coming' she says! Stop sitting there doing nothing! Go and call Charles and tell him to rally the troops and any other people that want to fight. This is going to be a massacre, My Lord!" Edward bellowed. _

"_ENOUGH!" The King yelled angrily. "You'd better lower your voice when you speak to me child. And remember that, you are a child." _

_Edward recoiled; his father had never yelled at him like that. _That means he believes me! _Edward thought hopefully._

_He kept silent as Carlisle strolled around the room. "But I believe you son." He said after a very long pause, "Go and take Alice to your mother while I call Charles." Edward nodded then turned and hurriedly ran to the door. "Wait," he continued, "I'm proud of you for being responsible, Edward." He said with a smile._

"_Thanks, Father." Edward returned the smile then pulled Alice along to his mother. _

_Throughout the day, Lt. Col. Swan had been preparing his army and had allowed Edward to watch as they practiced. To Edward it was completely exhilarating to see it all. The army consisted of men and women from many different castes and species. Edward's eyes widened as he saw a man turn into a wolf and lunge onto a woman who had sprouted wings and had fangs. Oh how he wished to be able to take part. And that's when he decided he would. When he became marked, he'd become a soldier or part of the League. Even if the King refused, he'd disobey him and do it anyway. Edward Cullen was a fighter through and through. _

_Just then, he sensed danger from behind him so he jumped and flipped around in the air, using aire to land safely and see his attacker. Standing there, gripping a black-bladed sword with a black chrome hilt, was King Carlisle Cullen. Edwards's eyes widened as he took in the image of his father in his warrior stance. "Father? What are you doing?" He exclaimed, jumping backwards just as Carlisle had swiped the sword down at him diagonally. _

_Carlisle just smiled, "Would you ask your enemy that question, son?" Then he spun in the air and brought his sword down at Edward again, but it created a large clashing sound as it was met with Edward's pride and joy. Edward's sword was 3 feet long, the beautiful silver blade enhanced with powers from the deep red engravings that ran along it. _

_They battled valiantly until Edward found himself looming over his father with the end of his blade just above his father's jugular. Carlisle smiled widely, and then Edward sheathed his sword and held out a hand to the King. He took it and got up._

"_Wow, Edward, you're a lot faster and stronger than I was at your age. Of course, I let you win just now…" Carlisle looked at the disbelieving expression on his sons face and chuckled heartily. Just as they were about to embrace, a deafening explosion sounded from afar. They both locked eyes with each other as an unspoken conversation passed between them in their minds. _

_Edward turned to see Charlie watching them. He also had that sad look in his eye; probably thinking about his own family and whether he would see them again. "Go into the castle! We'll fight them at the gates to stop them getting in!" _

_He then spoke to Edward through his thoughts, _look after my Isabella please.

_Edward replied, _I will.

_His father grabbed a hold of Edwards hand and ran with him into their home. They ran into the infirmary and found Queen Esme sitting on a bed with her back to them. As they got closer, they saw her cradling Alice in her arms, whispering soothing words in her ear. She looked up at them with tears in her eyes. "I don't know what to do, she's not saying anything and her eyes have gone black! Oh, dear Gods, help her please." Carlisle hugged her from behind and placed a kiss on her caramel hair as she began to cry._

_Edward couldn't bear to watch his mother cry so he turned on his heels and ran in search for his brother Emmett. He was just about to check the games room when he heard his brother's voice inside his head. _

I've gotta leave before Father or Eddie find me. They're gonna try and stop me but I know that this is what I need to do. _Emmett thought._

"_What in the world?" Edward ran to the weapons room where he'd seen that__Emmett was inside his thoughts. Once he got there, he locked the door behind him; causing his brother to notice his presence. _

"_Edward, I know what you're going to say to me, but I don't care! I can't just sit here while our people are dying!" He exclaimed whilst inserting daggers into his weapon belt__which hung across his waist._

"_I'm not going to stop you, because that's the same way I feel about this Em." Edward said reassuringly, joining him next to the weapons cupboard to strap his body with lots of belts to put gear in._

"_Are you sure about this Edward?" Emmett asked._

"_I've never been more sure of anything in my life." He answered as he finished strapping himself up. _

_They both looked at each other for a while then embraced. As soon as they turned to walk through the doors, they stopped in their tracks because at the door was both their parents. _

"_Dad," Edward started, not bothering with all the formalities, "You can't stop us. We have to protect our people." _

"_We know." His father answered, putting an arm around his mother's waist as he spoke, "And that's why we're not going to stop you." _

_A tear ran down Esme's blushing cheeks, "Just be careful, and bring yourselves home to me. Okay? I don't think my heart could take it if I lost you both." She buried her head in the crook of Carlisle's neck. _

_Both Edward and Emmett ran up to their parents and hugged them tightly, wondering if it would be the last time they did. When they parted, Emmett and Edward had a conversation through their mind link before turning back to their parents._

"_We're not going to fight alongside the army. We'd probably be giving ourselves a death sentence." He chuckled humourlessly before letting Emmett carry on._

"_We're going to the villages and rounding up the women, children and the elderly, to take them someplace safe. Then we'll fight with whatever men are able to protect the people." _

"_We promise to come back to you, Mother." Edward said with utter certainty._

"_Just take care of Alice and everyone here."Emmett concluded. "We'll try and be back by morning." _

_They sent reassuring smiles to their parents before running out of the castle, and towards the nearest village. _

_Edward felt confident as he let aire help him and his brother run at their full speed. After all, he was on his way to fulfilling the responsibilities of being a Prince. As he got closer to the screams and growls, the last thought he had before he got his mind into battle-mode was that it was his 13__th__ birthday in about half an hour. _

What a way to become a teenager, huh?_ He thought to himself. _What a way.

_A roaring battle cry escaped his lips as he unsheathed his sword and charged towards a troll with deathly red eyes. _

Happy 13th.

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**A/N: What did you think of that guys ? That was kind of like THE WAR PART ONE & the next chapter will be like a PART TWO. So if you wanna read that part 2 you're gonna have to review! If I get alot of reviews for this chapter, I'll post the next one quickly. **

**So review, review, review ! Scroll down and click the bloody button mate ! **

**LOOOL**

**Thank youu ,**

**Nae xx**


	9. Starry Night

**Chapter 8: Starry Night**

_Edward ushered the last civilian he could find into a barn he __had __filled with all the villagers he'd sworn to protect. He locked it with a large wooden panel and stood guard outside; panting heavily as his eyes darted around for any signs of danger. All he could hear was his own heart; all he could smell was the foul odour of Dark blood stained on his body; all he could see was darkness dotted with flickering lanterns in the distance. _

_Something was wrong; it was way too quiet seeing as he was in the middle of a raging war. With those last minutes of silence he closed his eyes and tried to forget about how m__any __creatures he'd killed. __And how many Emmett had killed.__ Edward had lost sight of him only 10 minutes after he'd killed that first troll and hadn't seen him since. He prayed to whoever was listening that Emmett stayed safe. _

_Then just as he opened his eyes, he felt something pierce his right shoulder sending a blast of pain through his body. "Shit!" He yelled in pain before pulling a circular razor blade from where it was wedged into his body. It was a _vesica, _a majorly sharp blade that was forged by the Sytrix. __And that meant there was Sytrix around_. Double shit. _Edward thought. He'd never fought a Sytrix before and didn't want to. Ever. But that didn't matter because he was going to in about 3…2…1… _

_He spun in the air and fly kicked his enemy in the face before landing in his warrior stance. He studied the face of the mortal enemy of his race as they circled each other, both hissing. The guy was reasonably tall and built with short black hair and frighteningly silver eyes; the common features of every Sytrix. _

_Edward quickly ran through all the battle techniques he'd been taught in his mind, and just when he'd opted for one, his enemy spoke. "Prince Edward Cullen." He spat. _

_Edward's eyes widened as he recognized his voice. "Demetri?" He said disbelievingly. Demetri used to go to Edward's school; he'd Turned Dark just last year. _

"_Oh, I feel honoured that you remember my name, Your Highness," He said sarcastically, his eyes almost glowing with evil, "But that won't really matter because I'm going to commit treason or regicide … or whatever it's called when you kill a royal." He looked genuinely confused. _Wow, he's stupid_. _

_A split second later, Demetri was smiling as hundreds of small sharp rocks flew in Edward's direction; had he not blown them away with aire, he'd have about a million gaping holes in his body. Shaking the image out of his head, he unsheathed his sword and began battling his opponent fiercely. _

_Just as he was getting into the fight, he'd heard many other hisses and growls coming closer and closer to where they were. "Shit!" He exclaimed for the hundredth time that night as he backed away from the oncoming white-eyed army. "There's too many of them." He whispered to himself. As they advanced on him, he knew his time was coming to an end. "I'm sorry, Mother," He heard them chuckle at his last words. "But I'm not going down without a fight." He concluded. _

_Jumping up from his crouched position, he swung his sword around, expertly slicing the throats of about 4 men. He then grabbed a dagger from his belt and stabbed each one in the heart; freeing all the energy they'd sucked out in their seemingly short Dark lives. He snapped his head up at the sound of heavy foot__steps__ and a deep growl. Running towards him were some more opponents, each one throwing _vesicas_ at him with precision. Using aire he stopped the blades in midair then turned them around and aimed them at his attackers. _

_2 more Sytrix charged at him from his left and right. With all the hope and strength he had left, Edward threw daggers at each of them, piercing them in their hearts before collapsing to the floor. He clutched onto his shoulder as he kept losing blood. Drowsy and tired, he heard people running towards him. Each step on the soft soil of his land was another step closer to his death. He sensed someone standing right above his head and felt the tip of a blade resting on his chest. _This is it_, he thought to himself. _

_As he closed his eyes in anticipation for his death, he heard a blade piercing flesh and a loud groan right above him. Opening his eyes a little, he saw another Sytrix fall to the ground._

"_You didn't think we'd let you die, did you?" Standing at his feet he saw some Almorean soldiers and his brother, Emmett, reaching out his hand. He smiled weakly before clutching his brother's hand to lift himself up. _

_After he was patched up in the infirmary, he remembered the words Uncle Charlie had told him, "_Look after my Isabella please_." He put his fighting leathers back on and grabbed his weapons before running out to the stables. Edward heard Kira's soft neighing then went over to her and walked her out. He climbed onto her back and stroked her beautiful silver-gray coat that was dusted with black specks as he relished the happiness he felt with her. With a soft kick, they started towards the house on the hill where Charlie had hidden his daughter. Thankfully, he got there without having to fight anyone and in less than 10 minutes. _

_It was a very small and picturesque cottage; the ones you see in __storybooks__. It had a shingled roof and a little chimney that was puffing a large amount of smoke and soot. The panes were all painted off-white, accompanied by walls made of cobblestones. Cute was the word that came to mind when he saw it. It was a breath of fresh air compared to everything else he'd seen that night. _

_Smiling, he dismounted Kira and ran up to the door then stopped in his tracks. The door was ajar and that sense of danger tingled on the back of Edward's neck. With his sword in one hand and the other freed for the use of aire, he stalked into the room hyper-aware of everything. The kitchen and the living room were clear with no signs of a disturbance. He crept towards the first bedroom that had the name Bella scrawled on the door. Slowly, he pushed open the door and saw the body of a small girl sprawled on the floor with a cloth beneath her. Edward moved closer. _

_That was Isabella Swan. And the cloth was a pool of blood. _

_Suddenly, the smell hit him. It was as if his brain waited until he recognized her to bombard him with the rancid coppery smell of blood and death again. _

_Edward collapsed beside her form and rolled her over just to make sure it was her. It was. _

_He didn't know how long he'd sat there just staring at her before he gathered her up in his arms just as he'd done with Alice earlier and carried her to where Kira stood waiting. With a large amount of effort, he managed to lift himself onto his beloved horse and pull her up with him. _

_When he arrived back at the castle, he tied Kira's rope to one of the pegs in the stable, then picked Bella up again and took her into the infirmary. As he walked in, all conversations ceased and everyone turned to look at him. For a while, no one moved or said a word, until one short and chubby nurse with flushed cheeks hurried over to him and said "Put her down over here, love." He complied silently then stood back to look at her again. The blood that stained her frilly pink nightgown was a stark contrast between the bleached white sheets. The nurse was trying to wipe it away whilst putting an IV in before Edward laid a hand on her shoulder. _

"_Stop." He ordered softly. "She's dead." _

_He dropped his hand then walked out with sounds of gasps and cries echoing in the large room as he went. Edward held in the tears that threatened to spill and was about to try and find solace in the gazebo outside when he heard frantic voices coming from around front gates. He ran over to the voices to find 2 soldiers, Peter and Charlotte, carrying a bloodied man in the direction of the infirmary. _

"_What happened?" He asked, putting his arms under the man's torso to help carry him, "Who is…" He was lost for words when he looked at the man's face. There were 3 huge gashes from his left temple down to the right side of his jaw. He was completely mangled; almost unrecognizable. But Edward did recognize him. It was Lt. Col Charles Swan, aka Uncle Charlie, aka Isabella's father. _

_He bit his lip as he tried not to cry. _Please don't die, Charlie._ He pleaded through their faint psychic link; a sign his life force was fading. _

_They burst through the large oak doors then placed him onto the last free bed. Nurses flittered over to the best leader their army __had __ever seen and told everyone to back away whilst they tried to save him. Edward stood a few feet away from him, making sure he was still in his line of sight. _

Edward_, Charlie's voice said softly in his mind, _I know you'll look after her, son. I have faith in you. And you'll eventually take my place as Lieutenant soon too. _Edward looked up at the man who had been there for him his whole life with tears now running down his flushed cheeks. He was the one who had taught him everything from hunting to how to kill an enemy. In some ways, he was more of a father to him than Carlisle is. _Tell my Bella how much I love her, okay? And I love you too, Edward Cullen.

_Edward dropped to his knees as their mental connection dissipated into nothingness. _He's dead_. He said in his mind. _And I didn't look after Bella because she's dead too. I failed. I should be dead, not them.

_With that thought he got up and ran out of the hall, across the foyer and back to the stables where he unhooked Kira and mounted her quickly. He kicked Kira hard this time, but she never flinched because somehow, their minds were connected too. She sensed his conflicting emotions so just ran fast for him, knowing it was what he needed. _Thank you_, Edward thought. Kira neighed in reply then just kept galloping until they got to Tipiza Hill. _

_Edward breathed in deeply, the air fresh __and __packed with that warm scent of the lavender that grew there. He wiped away the trails of tears on his face then sighed as he looked around him. The sky was a deep navy blue with gleaming stars flickered here and there. It was like any other night sky and if you closed one eye and turned your head to the side just an inch, you'd think it literally was any other night. _

_But it wasn't. The lower half of the sky was filled with __pitch-black__ smoke; almost stained with all of the darkness and evil that came upon Almorea that night. Huge billows of smoke and fire whirled around in the air; kind of like Van Gogh's __'Starry Night' __but with much less hope and wonder. Well away from the city, Edward couldn't hear people crying for their loved ones through his ears and through his heart. He didn't want to. He wasn't sad anymore, he was just angry. Filled with an anger and hatred that ran so deep that all he wanted was revenge. _

"_I will avenge their deaths." He vowed, "I swear I will find and kill every single Sytric on this Earth. Even if it kills me."_

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**A/N: I am SO sorry I took so long to update you guys ! I've just been so busy the past few weeks so I just never had time to write anything. So here is a chapter that I whipped up quickly and I hope you enjoyed it !**

**I bet your thinking, how can Bella be alive now if she died before ? Well, you'll have to wait until the next few chappies to find outt ! = D**

**Please leave reviews ! Do you like Almorea ? Do you think its described well or whatever ? Just ANYTHINGGG !**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW !**

**- Nae xx**


	10. Cosmic Love

** !**

**:)**

**Chapter 9**

Isabella Swan froze as her mind tried to register what Edward had just told her. _My dad is dead?_ She asked herself as she sat stoic on the stony steps of Edward's apartment building.

And then it hit her. Pain; an unrecognisable, yet unmistakeable pain. She stood up, and then swayed as she tried to regain her balance. She couldn't breathe. It was as if the part of her heart she had been saving for her father had suddenly been burnt away. A candle, or a match, maybe? No, that'd be too slow. Something faster and more aggressive had set her heart alight; more like a blow torch.

She walked away slowly as she tried to grasp the fact that the idyllic father she'd waited for, for the last 7 years had died exactly 7 years ago. All this time she'd been longing for a father who would teach her how to play baseball or would threaten to castrate any guy who'd come near her. Bella had dreamt of a father who would walk her down the aisle and tell stories about her to his grandkids. But that was all a waste because he was already dead.

She faintly heard the voice of someone calling out her name but she just carried on walking until she ended up at her house. In a trance, she carried out her nightly routine before heading off to bed, all the while telling herself that she didn't need him. She didn't know him and he's dead; time to move on.

Just as she'd gotten under her covers and closed her eyes, rays of sunlight came pouring into her room. She sighed deeply, "Just great (!)"

That morning, she'd gotten dressed for school and grabbed a bagel before jumping into her car. She looked up at the time on her dashboard which read 7.48. Almost a half an hour earlier than usual, Bella decided to drive over to Angela's to waste some time. She knew Angela's daily schedule by heart after hanging around with her for as long as she could remember, and so knew that Angela probably wouldn't be leaving her house till quarter past 8.

After licking the crumbs from her bagel off her fingers, she popped in her favourite CD mix into the player, turned it up loud and slumped down as she looked off into the sky. The soft, familiar intro of Cosmic Love by Florence and The Machine soothed the tension in her mind and body. But when the bass hit, it was as if her mind woke up again and all the feelings she'd tried to stuff into a box in the corner of her subconscious had found its way back again. She was furiously angry as well as extremely upset. Bella cried out as she beat her fists down on the steering wheel. "Why?" She yelled as she sobbed loudly, "Why him? Why me? JUST LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE, FOR FUCKS SAKE!"

Before she knew it, Angela's arms were wrapped around her shoulders as she tried to soothe and calm her down. "It's okay, sweetheart. Angie's here now."

When she'd calmed down a little, she explained to a worried Angela that she'd 'tracked down' her father and found out that he'd been killed in a 'drive-by'. After a lot of "Oh, no's" and apologies, Angela insisted that she drive, deciding that being sad meant Bella was an invalid.

When lunch came around, Bella was now on her 5th cup of coffee, sleep desperately trying to take her whilst she tried to stay awake.

"Bella, all this caffeine is really not doing you any good! You know I read an article in Elle about how caffeine makes your pores widen." Angela babbled on, her words not really registering in Bella's brain. But somehow, when Bella felt a certain someone's presence beside her, her brain decided to wake itself up.

"Hey Edward." She said, a smile creeping up on her lips as she took in his appearance. He was wearing a casual grey Ralph Lauren polo and a black and grey striped cardigan. His black slim fit jeans were accompanied by black Vans.

"Hey Isabella." He murmured as he struggled to open his strawberry yoghurt; his brows furrowing like they usually did when he concentrated.

Mike Newton and Adrian Booker were conversing about the Yankees game as they both took seats at Bella's table. Angela and Bella silently motioned for them to stop talking as they pointed at Edward whilst they held in laughter. When he finally opened it, he looked up and said, "What?" causing them all to burst out laughing.

Edward's face reddened in embarrassment, "That was exactly what I needed." Bella choked out as the laughter died down.

When the school day ended, Bella grabbed her books from her locker and was applying her favourite nude lip gloss in her compact when she bumped into someone and dropped everything she was holding.

"Schiesse!" She cursed, and then knelt down to pick up her stuff. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I..." Her words started to jumble up in her mouth when she looked up into the ice blue eyes of Jacques Dubois; the new guy from France who makes every girl melt and fall to her knees in his presence.

"No, no, no. Je suis desole, Isabella, it was me." He smiled sweetly as he picked up her books for her; the deep dimples in his cheeks and his delicious French accent making her forget who she even was. "You okay?" He asked genuinely, sweeping his shoulder-length ash blonde hair to the side.

"You-you-you know my name?" She stuttered foolishly.

He chuckled, and then said, "Of course, I wouldn't forget a beautiful name for such a beautiful woman." He smiled again then handed her books to her before walking away to the car park, leaving Bella staring after him.

Bella recollected her thoughts and wiped the drool from her mouth just as Edward and Alice approached her.

"Aah!" Alice screamed, "He is so freaking gorge!"

"I know!" Bella squealed with her.

"Pshh," Edward scoffed, "I honestly do not understand what you all see in that guy. He's not that hot. And besides, something's not right about him." He accused, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Hater!" Bella and Alice sang in unison as she opened the door to the Media room to find Angela chatting animatedly with Bella's co-editors, Rachel Krauss and Latoya Bingham.

"Ange? What are you doing here? I thought you were going shopping?" Bella asked as she laid her books on her desk.

"Yeah, well, I gave that up just to spend some more time with you, so be happy chica!" Angela gave her a knowing smile which Bella returned; she knew that she was only staying to cheer her up after what happened that morning.

"Alright, we're gonna head out then." Edward told her.

"Yeah, Bella, see you tomorrow!" Alice bounced over to Bella and kissed her on both cheeks before skipping out of the door.

Flustered and surprised by her actions, Bella mumbled an, "O-kay..."

**2 hours later...**

"Ughh, Bella I am so bored!" Angela whined.

"Yes, Angela, you've been telling me that for the past hour. Just let me save this and we'll..." Bella was interrupted by the sound of a window being smashed.

Their heads both snapped towards the left wall where 2 men jumped through the broken window with ease. The tingly sensation on the back of her neck told her that they weren't ordinary men. They were supernatural and definitely evil.

Bella grabbed her friend and pushed her behind her as she fell into an instinctive crouch. "What do you want?" She asked them, her voice sounding surprisingly menacing.

"You." One of them answered before charging in their direction.

"Just stay there." Bella whispered to Angela before stepping on the chair beside her and propelling herself into the air. She curled her leg in the air and kicked the guy in the face. As he fell backwards, his hat fell off, revealing the jet black hair and bright silver eyes that Edward told her about the night before. _Sytrix_, Bella concluded. _Just great (!)_

The other Sytric opted to use magic and threw a black orb-like ball surrounded by surges of electricity at them. Bella's eyes widened in surprise but she recovered and threw her own fireball at him. The balls hit each other with a huge force then disintegrated. She then pummelled him with many balls of fire until he collapsed to the ground. "Take that, freak." Bella spat.

Bella heard Angela scream her name behind her. She whipped around to find the first Sytric holding Angela up on the wall with his hand wrapped around her throat. _Shit, she can't breathe_. Bella thought, _what do I do? What do I do?_ She jumped up and down as she panicked hysterically. She looked at her palms in haste. "Where are these fucking powers when you need them?"

When she looked up again, Angela was slumped on the wall, her eyes closed and unmoving. She was either passed out or dead. Bella desperately hoped it was the former and not the latter but that didn't stop a feeling of dread from crawling on Bella's skin and seeping into her bones. _They killed her_, she thought, _just like my father._

It was then that everything rational and calculated about Bella flew out the window, she was all instinct now. Her pupils dilated then disappeared, as did her irises, until Bella's eyes were completely white. Unfound wind began to make her dark brown waves whip around her shoulders and the air seemed to become thicker and almost electrified. Her mind was gone, tucked into an unknown part of her brain. All she was thinking now was that she wanted to hurt those motherfuckers so much that all the Sytrix in the world felt it tenfold.

The one who murdered her best friend stood still before her in complete fear. A large amount of power bubbled up in her body then escaped with a loud roar. Bella opened her eyes to find that both the Sytric were gone, and all that remained were a pile of ashes where they last stood. But it wasn't just those 2. Bella could sense that there were about 4 more Sytrix just outside the school doors.

She blinked repeatedly as her mind returned and she became herself again before running over to where Angela laid, the panic also returning again. "Oh God, oh God!" She checked her pulse as she was taught in health class, "Oh, yes, she's alive." She sighed in relief.

"Jake?" Bella called out for the only person she could think of. With a 'pop!' he appeared beside her.

"What is it? ... Oh!" He gasped as he saw Angela's fragile, human form crumpled on the floor. "She's alive, right?" He hoped.

"Yeah, just help me get her to my car so we can take her to the hospital." Bella told him.

"So what happened?" Jacob asked as he ran with Angela down the hallways bridal-style.

Bella took in the images of the many ash piles that littered the school floors. "That's what I'd like to know." She mumbled.

* * *

**Honestly, I am so sorry for the ridiculously long delay. I've just been so busy these past few weeks doing volunteering and stuff so that I can get it out of the way before I apply to Universities next year. && Now Ramadan has started so I'm fasting on top of all that. So basically, I just haven't had ANY time at all. I managed to write this chapter in like 2 hours and thats all the free time I had so I'm sorry its so short! **

**Just please get behind me and support this story by reviewing because I think its got alot of potential if it goes on further. Recommend it to your friends and stuff and just please REVIEW! It would make my day and maybe make me less hungry if I saw some support from you guys. **

**Thanks for putting up with me! = ]**

**Love, Naeema xx**


	11. Requests

**Chapter 10**

Worry and regret plagued Bella as she sat beside an unconscious Angela in a brightly lit cubicle in St. Mary's hospital. Her best friend's heart had already arrested twice but was now stable as she lay sedated with sleep in a pale blue and green hospital gown with all sorts of needles stuck into her arms.

As soon as they'd jumped into her car and sped off towards the hospital, Bella had called Edward to fill him in on what had happened. She remembered the shock in his voice turn into anger and determination. He answered her with, "Don't worry, I'll take care of everything," in a crisp tone before hanging up. She hoped he did take care of it all because she certainly knew she couldn't.

Bella sighed deeply before looking across the bed at an unusually quiet Jacob, his face etched in deep thought. She was just about to ask him what was up when she saw the horribly decorated lime green curtain drag open. There, with her hands clamped around her mouth was Michelle, Angela's classically beautiful adoptive mother. Bella had always slightly envied her for her upturned almond-shaped dark green eyes and naturally olive-tanned skin; a stark contrast to her own dull brown ones and abnormally pale complexion.

"Oh, good heavens," She cried as she raced over to grab her daughter's frail hands. She checked Angela's temperature and the rest of her body for any signs of injury, as if she was at home with a fever and not in a hospital with capable doctors sporting medical degrees. "Bella darling, what happened?" Michelle asked; her voice a lot less shaky after being satisfied with the examination she gave her child.

Bella's panicked eyes found Jacobs as she tried to come up with a believable lie. "Um, w-we were on our way home from club after school when got robbed," Jacob gave her a flat stare then tried not to laugh at her lame explanation. "We tried to fight them off but one of them got to Angie before I could..." A lump got caught in her throat as the image of Angela's frightened eyes and the sounds of her screaming Bella's name burned into her memory. She looked up at Jake with teary eyes before reluctantly looking into Michelle's. She thought she'd find anger and blame swirling in them but the care and adoration she did find made the lump in her throat grow about 10 times bigger. All she managed was a squeaky apology before she found herself wrapped in the soothing arms of a woman who was like a second mother to her.

"It's okay, love, I know you'd have saved her if you could." She reassured her as she kissed her hair. This was wrong. It was Bella's fault that Angela's hurt; she should be consoling Michelle, not the other way around.

Bella wiped her face then excused herself and Jacob, saying they needed some coffee but really she just wanted to give them some privacy. Bella didn't take a breath until she got to the coffee machine-afraid tears would spill if she gave her body air. "It's because of me isn't it, Jake?" Bella concluded as she rested her head against the cool surface of the machine. "I'm the girl in the prophecy, aren't I? That's why you brought me here so that no one could find me." She looked up to find Jacobs' eyes glued to the floor and his hands stuffed in the pockets of his hoodie as he swayed guiltily. She took that as a yes; a confirmation of all her fears. A look that said everything she knew to be true was a lie.

It was Sunday morning; Bella yawned loudly and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She dragged her lacy-underwear-clad body out of her bed; pulled open the gray drapes then squinted as the harshly bright sunlight attacked her pupils. "Ugh, what time is it?" She asked herself as she padded over to the Mickey Mouse alarm clock perched on her bedside table.

A familiar voice sounded behind her, "Time to speak to Angela-woaaaah!" Bella pulled her bed sheet over her body as she screamed crude words at Jacob who had shifted into a goblin and was rolling around on her floor.

"Oh, god, my eyes!" He squealed, sounding a lot like Dobby from Harry Potter.

"Get your ass off my carpet and go poof off!" He lay still on the floor. "I swear, Jake, don't make me come over there and…"

"Alright, alright!" He shifted into himself again and then disappeared with that usual 'POP!'

"Stupid idiot." Bella muttered before grabbing her towel and heading to the bathroom.

An hour later, Bella hopped into the passenger side of Edward's Volvo- with a still-flushed Jacob in the back- just as he was starting it up. She made sure to cover up almost every inch of her body after what had happened that morning. She donned her favourite leather biker jacket over a graphic tee and paired it with some dark skinnys and her worn-in Doc Martens. She buckled her seatbelt up then looked at Edward curiously as he tried to hold in laughter.

"What is so damn funny?" She asked before flipping down the small mirror on the passenger side of the roof to fix her bangs.

"Apparently, someone was looking too sexy this morning." Edward said teasingly.

Bella's mouth dropped open. "Oh, my god!" She exclaimed, whipping her head around to face Jacob. "You told this loser?" She yelled, pointing at Edward who actually looked hurt. "What the hell, Jake? Perving on a teenage girl is not something you tell everyone else!" Jacob shifted into a tabby kitten with big, watery and adorable dark blue eyes. "Oh, no you don't Jacobin Black. Don't give me that face. From now on you are barred from coming into my room without my permission." Bella cut her eyes at him before turning around to face the windshield. "Now step on it, before I kick you out to drive it myself." She ordered Edward.

"In all honesty, he didn't exactly tell me. I kind of…" He trailed off at the sight of the evil eyes she was giving him. "Okay, ma'am, I'm stepping on it now."

Bella smirked triumphantly, looking out of the window at the blurred houses as they whizzed past. The entire ride to Angela's was comfortably silent for Bella, but probably not for the other two losers in her vicinity.

When they arrived, Bella got out and slowly walked up the steps to Angela's door; her palms sweaty with anxiety. She had been procrastinating since Angela's release from the hospital a few days ago, knowing that the 'talk' about what had really happened that day was looming but was necessary if she still valued Angie's friendship.

She looked up as Jacob stood beside her, his fist reaching up to knock on the door. He cocked an eyebrow, asking if she was okay. She nodded in reply, then took a deep breath as the door opened to reveal a tired but still fashionable looking Angela. She was wearing a woolly, grey, oversized sweater dress with a brown boyfriend belt tied at her waist. She wore her hair up in a messy bun and her Tommy Hilfiger glasses framed her heart shaped face perfectly. Bella smiled at her appearance. Despite the fact that she'd recently been in a traumatic event, she still managed to look as beautiful as she usually did. Angela looked at them all, her eyes lingering on Jacob longer before stepping backwards to let them into her home.

Bella loved Angela's house; it was a lot more modern and retro-looking than hers but still held that scent that reminded you of home. She led them to the sitting room, 3 of the walls painted in a mossy green and the fourth covered in patterned green and black wallpaper. Whilst Bella, Edward and Jacob sat upon the plush leather sofas, Angela found solace in her favourite worn out velvet armchair. It belonged to her adoptive father who'd passed away when she was 10. It looked so out of place amidst the other sleek black and silver furniture, but Angela held onto it and refused to let her mother throw it away after he died.

After everyone got comfortable, a blanket of silence covered the room. No one knew where to start, or how to start.

"So…" Angela began, always the one to break any silence. "How about those ninja people, eh? You were definitely kicking some ass, Bella." She laughed nervously, making everyone else smile at her attempt.

"One, ninja's are cool, those guys were just weird." Bella said, counting it off on her fingers. "And two, well, yeah, I kicked some ass." She winked at Angela and they started laughing, the tension in the room dying down.

"Alright, Ange, I gotta admit, I was avoiding seeing you because I didn't want to talk about what happened." She sighed as she watched her best friend's eyes convey a sense of understanding. "But, I realized that this is something we really need to talk about. And…" She looked across at Edward's gorgeously green eyes, "Um, I'll just let Edward explain it all."

And with that, the entire explanation about Almorea and The Sytrix and Bella's prophecy commenced. Giving even Bella a little more insight into what happened.

"But, how could it be me? I'm not powerful or anything! I'm just a normal girl from Queens…" Bella exclaimed, speaking so fast her words were tripping over each other.

"You're not normal, Bella. And you've never been just a girl!" Jacob told her, "Would a normal girl have no recollection of the first 10 years of her life?" He asked, knowing he hit a nerve. "Would a normal girl be best friends with a shape shifter/ warlock?" Bella never answered but just turned away to look at the 'normal' family portraits of Angela, her little brother and parents, realizing that Jacob was right.

"If I am the one in the prophecy, then why am I alive?" She asked, as quiet as a mouse, "Because Edward said he found me dead." Bella countered; trying to find any little detail she could to convince herself and them – more herself – that she's not the chosen one.

"Hello?" Jacob said in a feminine high-pitched voice, "High-ranking warlock!" He pointed at himself as he spoke. "Obviously, I faked your death, because you're alive now… But really, Bells, I had to do it." His voice taking on an unusually serious tone, "And you know, deep inside that you, and the 'her' that you keep referring to, are the same person." Jacob finished as he knelt beside her on the floor.

She sighed, deciding that she'd lost her battle and that she should just face reality. "How did you fake my death then?" Bella asked Jacob as she moved away from him and squeezed beside Angela on the scruffy armchair.

Jacob did his signature eyebrow raise then got up and walked around the room, inspecting the pictures on the mantle as he spoke, "I spent weeks setting up the cloning spell and everything to make it as real as I could. Your father asked me to do everything in my power to keep the Sytrix or anyone else from finding and hurting you. And that's what I've been doing all your life." He sighed, before continuing, "As of late, it seems that I've been slacking on the job. I wasn't there when you needed me, Isabella. So, I'm sorry." He looked at his hands as he spoke.

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Jake. You can't be around me 24/7." She said, trying to console him.

"I can if I have to." He murmured.

Angela leaned over and whispered in Bella's ear, "If he knew you before you were born, then how old _is _he?" Bella cocked her brow but stayed silent. "What? Can't I wonder?" Angela scoffed before eyeing him as he hunched over, his elbows resting on his knees and his shaggy hair falling over his face.

Bella watched Angela as she watched Jacob, wondering how she'd listened to every thing Edward had said and understood it without so much as a word to counter it. _Hell, she took it a lot better than I did_. Bella thought, the relief that she wouldn't be losing Angela as a friend making the worry lines on her forehead ease away.

She stayed silent as she reflected on her life and where it was to go next whilst Edward tried to make small talk with Angela. Bella waited until the conversation took a pause to catch Edward's eye and motion for him to leave the room with her. They both got up and headed for the door when Angela asked, "Where're you going, B?"

"Um, Edward and I just need to clear something up." She answered nonchalantly, "You two have fun." She teased, making a tinge of redness appear in Angela's cheeks.

Bella went to the hallway and found the front door ajar. She opened it, walked out onto the 'welcome-in-a-million-billion-languages' mat then closed the door behind her softly. Edward was sat on the steps leading up to the house, his back to her. She sat beside him, the thought that stony steps were becoming their 'thing' flashing through her mind but shook it out and tried to think about what she wanted to say before she said it.

"So what did you want to talk about, Isabella?" He asked, slipping his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

She clicked her heels together in that 'wizard of oz' fashion as she usually did when her nerves got the better of her. "When we were attacked, I totally panicked. I had no clue about what to do and the only reason Ange and I are alive now, I think, is because of that natural 'Almorean' instinct that I probably have." She looked up to find him looking surprised at the seriousness of the conversation. "And I don't ever want to feel like that, Edward." The vulnerability she felt had probably shown on her face because his eyes softened as they found hers. "I guess, what I'm trying to say is…"

"Is what, Bella? Spit it out." He joked, half-smiling.

"What I'm trying to say, is that I want to learn how to fight." His face paled, "I want you to teach me how to fight."

**Heyy you guysss ! So that was another chapterr .. not very eventful, kind of a filler so it was necessary xD.**

**All I wanna say is can I get some more reviewwwss ? I dont wanna be like some authors and say giv me like 20 before i post the next chap cause thats just not mee buhh can you guys just be nice and review pleasee ! **

**Gahhh xD, in other news lool! I got into the college I wanted ! I'm soo happyy, my life is going great right now, hopefully yours is too :D.**

**So just **

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW ! **

**Thank yuhh xx Nae**


	12. Important Authors Note !

**Author's Note :**

**Hey readers, I'm sorry to say that I won't be updating anytime soon. I just started college and I knew work would be hard but I had no clue it would be THIS time consuming. I literally have NO time for me :(. So I'm putting The Darkest Path on hold for now, and once I get my mojo back, I'll update again, but right now its just not possible. **

**Mega thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited me/ the story, or even just read it. To know that you guys dont think im a shit writer makes me feel good xD, so just thanks alot. **

**Naeema xxxx**


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